Armed forces personnel, total in Italy

Italy: Armed forces personnel, total was 338,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
338,000
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
20th
of 173 countries
All-time high
585,000
in 1995
All-time low
326,939
in 2009
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Italy, 1985–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1985200220201985: 385.1k1989: 506.0k1990: 493.0k1991: 473.0k1992: 471.0k1993: 450.0k1994: 436.0k1995: 585.0k1996: 580.9k1997: 580.9k1998: 554.1k1999: 521.2k2000: 503.1k2001: 482.6k2002: 471.1k2003: 454.3k2004: 445.0k2005: 445.0k2006: 440.0k2007: 436.0k2008: 436.0k2009: 326.9k2010: 359.4k2011: 367.6k2012: 359.5k2013: 359.5k2014: 356.9k2015: 356.9k2016: 356.9k2017: 347.0k2018: 341.5k2019: 342.0k2020: 338.0k

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Italy is 338,000, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Italy peaked at 585,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 326,939, in 2009.

Italy ranks 20th 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 445,550 385,100 506,000 2
1990s 514,510 436,000 585,000 10
2000s 444,004 326,939 503,100 10
2010s 354,698 341,500 367,550 10
2020s 338,000 338,000 338,000 1

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 17 Colombia 428,000 compare
  2. 18 Venezuela 343,000 compare
  3. 19 Mexico 341,000 compare
  4. 21 Algeria 326,000 compare
  5. 22 Sri Lanka 317,000 compare
  6. 23 France 304,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Italy?
Armed forces personnel, total in Italy was 338,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 585,000 in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 326,939 in 2009.
How does Italy rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Italy ranks 20th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Italy 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 — 33 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.