Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend

Late-demographic dividend: Armed forces personnel, total was 9.50 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
9.50 million
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
8th
of 46 groups
All-time high
11.51 million
in 1995
All-time low
7.54 million
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend, 1985–2020

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M1985200220201985: 7.5M1989: 8.4M1990: 7.8M1991: 7.6M1992: 9.4M1993: 8.8M1994: 8.5M1995: 11.5M1996: 11.2M1997: 10.8M1998: 10.9M1999: 10.6M2000: 10.6M2001: 10.4M2002: 10.3M2003: 10.2M2004: 9.8M2005: 10.3M2006: 10.1M2007: 9.4M2008: 9.4M2009: 9.6M2010: 9.6M2011: 9.5M2012: 9.6M2013: 9.5M2014: 9.6M2015: 9.7M2016: 9.7M2017: 9.7M2018: 9.7M2019: 9.6M2020: 9.5M

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

Analysis

Late-demographic dividend recorded 9.50 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend peaked at 11.51 million in 1995 and was at its lowest, 7.54 million, in 1985.

Late-demographic dividend ranks 8th of 46 groups 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 Late-demographic dividend, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 7.54 million —
1989 8.36 million +10.9%
1990 7.79 million -6.8%
1991 7.62 million -2.2%
1992 9.38 million +23.1%
1993 8.80 million -6.2%
1994 8.54 million -3.0%
1995 11.51 million +34.9%
1996 11.15 million -3.1%
1997 10.81 million -3.0%
1998 10.86 million +0.4%
1999 10.59 million -2.5%
2000 10.59 million +0.0%
2001 10.44 million -1.5%
2002 10.28 million -1.5%
2003 10.25 million -0.3%
2004 9.81 million -4.2%
2005 10.29 million +4.8%
2006 10.12 million -1.6%
2007 9.43 million -6.8%
2008 9.42 million -0.1%
2009 9.60 million +1.9%
2010 9.56 million -0.4%
2011 9.53 million -0.3%
2012 9.61 million +0.8%
2013 9.53 million -0.9%
2014 9.58 million +0.5%
2015 9.70 million +1.3%
2016 9.68 million -0.2%
2017 9.68 million +0.0%
2018 9.72 million +0.4%
2019 9.56 million -1.7%
2020 9.50 million -0.6%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend 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.

YearChange FromTo
1995 +34.9% 8.54 million 11.51 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.95 million 7.54 million 8.36 million 2
1990s 9.71 million 7.62 million 11.51 million 10
2000s 10.02 million 9.42 million 10.59 million 10
2010s 9.62 million 9.53 million 9.72 million 10
2020s 9.50 million 9.50 million 9.50 million 1

Countries ranked near Late-demographic dividend

  1. 5 United States 1.40 million compare
  2. 6 Pakistan 943,000 compare
  3. 7 Egypt 836,000 compare
  4. 8 Brazil 762,000 compare
  5. 9 Indonesia 676,000 compare
  6. 10 Iran 650,000 compare
  7. 11 South Korea 569,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Late-demographic dividend

All data for Late-demographic dividend →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend?
Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend was 9.50 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The highest recorded value was 11.51 million in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Late-demographic dividend?
The lowest recorded value was 7.54 million in 1985.
How does Late-demographic dividend rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Late-demographic dividend ranks 8th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Late-demographic dividend?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Late-demographic dividend 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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Armed forces personnel, total in Late-demographic dividend. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 11 October 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total/late-demographic-dividend/

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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.