Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Armed forces personnel, total was 2.66 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 2.66 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 2.73 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million, in 1985.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 28th 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.20 million | — |
| 1989 | 1.30 million | +8.4% |
| 1990 | 1.29 million | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.27 million | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.27 million | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 1.27 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.25 million | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 1.99 million | +59.5% |
| 1996 | 2.01 million | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.05 million | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.02 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 1.98 million | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 2.01 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 2.04 million | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.04 million | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 2.06 million | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.99 million | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 2.00 million | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 2.21 million | +10.4% |
| 2007 | 2.34 million | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.32 million | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.37 million | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 2.37 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.37 million | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 2.39 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 2.41 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 2.55 million | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 2.58 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 2.61 million | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 2.68 million | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 2.73 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 2.71 million | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 2.66 million | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.25 million | 1.20 million | 1.30 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.64 million | 1.25 million | 2.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 million | 1.99 million | 2.37 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.54 million | 2.37 million | 2.73 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.66 million | 2.66 million | 2.66 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 25 Saudi Arabia 282,000 compare
- 26 Syrian Arab Republic 269,000 compare
- 27 Japan 261,000 compare
- 28 Morocco 246,000 compare
- 29 Bangladesh 227,000 compare
- 30 Nigeria 223,000 compare
- 31 Eritrea 202,000 compare
More public sector data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Arms imports 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9954 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 67.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 113.41 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 10.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 73.38 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 19.32 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 2.66 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 & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.73 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million in 1985.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 28th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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
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.