Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel, total was 2.56 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) is 2.56 million, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 2.61 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.19 million, in 1985.
That places Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 30th out of 46 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.19 million | — |
| 1989 | 1.44 million | +21.4% |
| 1990 | 1.44 million | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 1.42 million | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.30 million | -8.4% |
| 1993 | 1.30 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.24 million | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.92 million | +55.0% |
| 1996 | 1.95 million | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 1.94 million | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.91 million | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 1.89 million | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 1.91 million | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.92 million | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.93 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 1.96 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.92 million | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 1.92 million | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 2.15 million | +12.3% |
| 2007 | 2.25 million | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 2.24 million | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 2.29 million | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 2.29 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.29 million | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.31 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 2.32 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 2.46 million | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 2.48 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 2.49 million | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 2.57 million | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 2.61 million | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 2.60 million | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 2.56 million | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.32 million | 1.19 million | 1.44 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.63 million | 1.24 million | 1.95 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.05 million | 1.91 million | 2.29 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.44 million | 2.29 million | 2.61 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.56 million | 2.56 million | 2.56 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Arms imports 611.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9814 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 64.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 611.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 106.17 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0105 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 12.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 66.10 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 19.76 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 2.56 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.61 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.19 million in 1985.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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.