Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico
Mexico: Armed forces personnel, total was 341,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 341,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Mexico peaked at 348,000 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 129,100, in 1985.
That places Mexico 19th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 129,100 | — |
| 1989 | 154,000 | +19.3% |
| 1990 | 175,000 | +13.6% |
| 1991 | 175,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 175,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 175,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 175,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 189,000 | +8.0% |
| 1996 | 190,000 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 190,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 190,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 193,770 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 207,800 | +7.2% |
| 2001 | 203,800 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 203,800 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 203,800 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 203,000 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 204,000 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 280,000 | +37.3% |
| 2007 | 286,000 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 305,000 | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 331,750 | +8.8% |
| 2010 | 331,750 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 329,750 | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 329,750 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 325,450 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 336,050 | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 336,050 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 336,050 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 336,000 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 348,000 | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 328,000 | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 341,000 | +4.0% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 341,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 5.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 341,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 12.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +37.3% | 204,000 | 280,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 141,550 | 129,100 | 154,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 182,777 | 175,000 | 193,770 | 10 |
| 2000s | 242,895 | 203,000 | 331,750 | 10 |
| 2010s | 333,685 | 325,450 | 348,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 341,000 | 341,000 | 341,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More public sector data for Mexico
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
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- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Mexico?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico was 341,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 348,000 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 129,100 in 1985.
- How does Mexico rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Mexico ranks 19th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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.