Armed forces personnel, total in France
France: Armed forces personnel, total was 304,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in France, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in France is 304,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in France peaked at 554,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 304,000, in 2019.
France ranks 23rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 509,150 | 464,300 | 554,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 495,660 | 411,600 | 550,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 360,497 | 341,967 | 389,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 315,882 | 304,000 | 341,967 | 10 |
| 2020s | 304,000 | 304,000 | 304,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More public sector data for France
- Arms imports 188.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Tax revenue 22.8% (2024)
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains 29.1% (2024)
- Taxes on goods and services 18.9% (2024)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets 1.9% (2024)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) -5.2% (2024)
- Interest payments 4.2% (2024)
- Grants and other revenue 6.8% (2023)
- Interest payments 3.4% (2023)
- Other taxes 6.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in France?
- Armed forces personnel, total in France was 304,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 554,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 304,000 in 2019.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- France ranks 23rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.