Armed forces personnel, total in IDA total

IDA total: Armed forces personnel, total was 4.52 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
4.52 million
Change on year
down 7.8%
Rank
18th
of 46 groups
All-time high
4.90 million
in 2019
All-time low
2.30 million
in 1985
Years of data
32
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in IDA total, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M1985200220201985: 2.3M1989: 2.7M1990: 2.8M1991: 2.8M1992: 2.8M1993: 2.8M1994: 2.6M1995: 4.5M1996: 4.6M1997: 4.7M1998: 4.7M1999: 4.9M2000: 4.9M2001: 4.3M2002: 4.6M2003: 4.5M2004: 4.4M2005: 4.4M2007: 4.4M2008: 4.5M2009: 4.7M2010: 4.9M2011: 4.8M2012: 4.8M2013: 4.8M2014: 4.8M2015: 4.9M2016: 4.8M2017: 4.7M2018: 4.8M2019: 4.9M2020: 4.5M

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

IDA total recorded 4.52 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in IDA total peaked at 4.90 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.30 million, in 1985.

IDA total ranks 18th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.49 million 2.30 million 2.68 million 2
1990s 3.72 million 2.65 million 4.87 million 10
2000s 4.51 million 4.29 million 4.89 million 9
2010s 4.82 million 4.75 million 4.90 million 10
2020s 4.52 million 4.52 million 4.52 million 1

Countries ranked near IDA total

  1. 15 Iraq 459,000 compare
  2. 16 Thailand 455,000 compare
  3. 17 Colombia 428,000 compare
  4. 18 Venezuela 343,000 compare
  5. 20 Italy 338,000 compare
  6. 21 Algeria 326,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for IDA total

All data for IDA total →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in IDA total?
Armed forces personnel, total in IDA total was 4.52 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in IDA total?
The highest recorded value was 4.90 million in 2019.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in IDA total?
The lowest recorded value was 2.30 million in 1985.
How does IDA total rank for armed forces personnel, total?
IDA total ranks 18th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in IDA total?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this IDA total 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.