Armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia
Bolivia: Armed forces personnel, total was 71,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Bolivia recorded 71,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
The figure is down 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia peaked at 83,200 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 27,600, in 1985.
Bolivia ranks 59th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 27,600 | — |
| 1989 | 30,000 | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 30,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 33,000 | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 32,000 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 32,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 28,000 | -12.5% |
| 1995 | 64,100 | +128.9% |
| 1996 | 64,100 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 70,600 | +10.1% |
| 1998 | 70,600 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 69,600 | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 69,600 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 68,600 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 68,600 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 68,600 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 68,000 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 70,000 | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 83,000 | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 83,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 83,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 83,200 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 83,200 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 83,200 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 83,200 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 83,200 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 71,200 | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 71,200 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 71,200 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 71,000 | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 71,100 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 71,000 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 71,000 | +0.0% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 71,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 3.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 71,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 2.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +128.9% | 28,000 | 64,100 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 28,800 | 27,600 | 30,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 49,400 | 28,000 | 70,600 | 10 |
| 2000s | 74,560 | 68,000 | 83,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 75,950 | 71,000 | 83,200 | 10 |
| 2020s | 71,000 | 71,000 | 71,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
- 56 Lebanon 80,000 compare
- 57 Cuba 76,000 compare
- 58 Canada 72,000 compare
- 59 Dominican Republic 71,000 compare
- 59 Kazakhstan 71,000 compare
- 62 Uzbekistan 68,000 compare
More public sector data for Bolivia
- 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 6 (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 Bolivia?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Bolivia was 71,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 83,200 in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,600 in 1985.
- How does Bolivia rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Bolivia ranks 59th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bolivia 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.
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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.