Armed forces personnel, total in Belgium
Belgium: Armed forces personnel, total was 24,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Belgium, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 24,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Belgium peaked at 110,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 24,000, in 2020.
Belgium ranks 96th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 91,600 | — |
| 1989 | 110,000 | +20.1% |
| 1990 | 106,000 | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 101,000 | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 79,000 | -21.8% |
| 1993 | 70,000 | -11.4% |
| 1994 | 53,000 | -24.3% |
| 1995 | 47,200 | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 46,300 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 44,450 | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 43,700 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 41,750 | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 39,300 | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 39,400 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 39,200 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 40,800 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 36,000 | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 37,000 | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 40,000 | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 39,000 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 39,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 39,482 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 35,736 | -9.5% |
| 2011 | 34,050 | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 30,700 | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 37,500 | +22.1% |
| 2014 | 37,600 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 36,350 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 33,800 | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 32,000 | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 31,500 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 26,000 | -17.5% |
| 2020 | 24,000 | -7.7% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 24,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 96% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 24,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100,800 | 91,600 | 110,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 63,240 | 41,750 | 106,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 38,918 | 36,000 | 40,800 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,524 | 26,000 | 37,600 | 10 |
| 2020s | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More public sector data for Belgium
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Belgium?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Belgium was 24,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 110,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,000 in 2020.
- How does Belgium rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Belgium ranks 96th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.