Armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia
Cambodia: Armed forces personnel, total was 191,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia stood at 191,000.
That represents a change of down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia peaked at 360,500 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 35,000, in 1985.
Cambodia ranks 33rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 35,000 | — |
| 1989 | 99,000 | +182.9% |
| 1990 | 112,000 | +13.1% |
| 1991 | 112,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 135,000 | +20.5% |
| 1993 | 102,000 | -24.4% |
| 1994 | 70,000 | -31.4% |
| 1995 | 308,500 | +340.7% |
| 1996 | 307,700 | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 360,500 | +17.2% |
| 1998 | 359,000 | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 359,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 360,000 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 207,000 | -42.5% |
| 2002 | 192,000 | -7.2% |
| 2003 | 192,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 192,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 191,000 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 191,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 191,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 191,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 191,300 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 191,300 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 191,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 191,300 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 191,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 191,000 | +0.0% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 191,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 8.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 191,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 1.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia 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 | +340.7% | 70,000 | 308,500 |
| 1989 | +182.9% | 35,000 | 99,000 |
| 2001 | -42.5% | 360,000 | 207,000 |
| 1994 | -31.4% | 102,000 | 70,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 67,000 | 35,000 | 99,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 222,570 | 70,000 | 360,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 209,830 | 191,000 | 360,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 191,240 | 191,000 | 191,300 | 10 |
| 2020s | 191,000 | 191,000 | 191,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More public sector data for Cambodia
- 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 1 (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 Cambodia?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Cambodia was 191,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 360,500 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,000 in 1985.
- How does Cambodia rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Cambodia ranks 33rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cambodia 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.