Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income

Lower middle income: Armed forces personnel, total was 7.56 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
7.56 million
Change on year
down 1.7%
Rank
10th
of 46 groups
All-time high
7.69 million
in 2019
All-time low
3.28 million
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income, 1985–2020

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M1985200220201985: 3.3M1989: 3.7M1990: 3.7M1991: 3.8M1992: 3.8M1993: 3.8M1994: 3.8M1995: 5.8M1996: 6.0M1997: 6.1M1998: 6.2M1999: 6.2M2000: 6.3M2001: 6.4M2002: 6.5M2003: 6.6M2004: 6.7M2005: 7.3M2006: 6.6M2007: 6.9M2008: 6.9M2009: 7.0M2010: 7.0M2011: 7.0M2012: 7.0M2013: 7.0M2014: 7.2M2015: 7.3M2016: 7.4M2017: 7.5M2018: 7.6M2019: 7.7M2020: 7.6M

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

Analysis

Lower middle income recorded 7.56 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income peaked at 7.69 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.28 million, in 1985.

Lower middle income ranks 10th 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 Lower middle income, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 3.28 million
1989 3.65 million +11.5%
1990 3.67 million +0.4%
1991 3.79 million +3.2%
1992 3.82 million +0.9%
1993 3.82 million +0.0%
1994 3.77 million -1.2%
1995 5.81 million +54.0%
1996 5.98 million +2.9%
1997 6.14 million +2.7%
1998 6.18 million +0.7%
1999 6.21 million +0.5%
2000 6.27 million +0.8%
2001 6.38 million +1.9%
2002 6.47 million +1.4%
2003 6.57 million +1.4%
2004 6.75 million +2.8%
2005 7.27 million +7.7%
2006 6.64 million -8.6%
2007 6.91 million +4.1%
2008 6.92 million +0.1%
2009 6.99 million +1.1%
2010 6.97 million -0.3%
2011 6.97 million -0.0%
2012 7.05 million +1.2%
2013 7.01 million -0.5%
2014 7.15 million +2.0%
2015 7.25 million +1.4%
2016 7.45 million +2.7%
2017 7.54 million +1.3%
2018 7.57 million +0.4%
2019 7.69 million +1.5%
2020 7.56 million -1.7%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income 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 +54.0% 3.77 million 5.81 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.47 million 3.28 million 3.65 million 2
1990s 4.92 million 3.67 million 6.21 million 10
2000s 6.72 million 6.27 million 7.27 million 10
2010s 7.26 million 6.97 million 7.69 million 10
2020s 7.56 million 7.56 million 7.56 million 1

Countries ranked near Lower middle income

  1. 7 Egypt 836,000 compare
  2. 8 Brazil 762,000 compare
  3. 9 Indonesia 676,000 compare
  4. 10 Iran 650,000 compare
  5. 11 South Korea 569,000 compare
  6. 12 Vietnam 522,000 compare
  7. 13 Turkey 512,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Lower middle income

All data for Lower middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income?
Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income was 7.56 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Lower middle income?
The highest recorded value was 7.69 million in 2019.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Lower middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 3.28 million in 1985.
How does Lower middle income rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Lower middle income ranks 10th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Lower middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lower middle 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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Armed forces personnel, total in Lower middle income. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total/lower-middle-income/

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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.