Armed forces personnel, total in Iran
Iran: Armed forces personnel, total was 650,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Iran, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Iran stood at 650,000.
The figure is up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Iran peaked at 868,000 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 440,000, in 1990.
That places Iran 10th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 610,000 | — |
| 1989 | 604,000 | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 440,000 | -27.2% |
| 1991 | 465,000 | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 528,000 | +13.5% |
| 1993 | 528,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 528,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 763,000 | +44.5% |
| 1996 | 863,000 | +13.1% |
| 1997 | 868,000 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 820,000 | -5.5% |
| 1999 | 785,600 | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 753,000 | -4.1% |
| 2001 | 553,000 | -26.6% |
| 2002 | 560,000 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 580,000 | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 460,000 | -20.7% |
| 2005 | 585,000 | +27.2% |
| 2006 | 585,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 563,000 | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 650,000 | +15.5% |
| 2019 | 650,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 650,000 | +0.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 650,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 10.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iran's 650,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 8.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Iran 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 | +44.5% | 528,000 | 763,000 |
| 2005 | +27.2% | 460,000 | 585,000 |
| 1990 | -27.2% | 604,000 | 440,000 |
| 2001 | -26.6% | 753,000 | 553,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 607,000 | 604,000 | 610,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 658,860 | 440,000 | 868,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 576,500 | 460,000 | 753,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 580,400 | 563,000 | 650,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 650,000 | 650,000 | 650,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More public sector data for Iran
- 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)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 2 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Iran?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Iran was 650,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 868,000 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,000 in 1990.
- How does Iran rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Iran ranks 10th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.