Armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel, total was 4.19 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) stood at 4.19 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 4.86 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.99 million, in 1994.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 19th 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3.57 million | — |
| 1989 | 3.75 million | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 3.99 million | +6.4% |
| 1991 | 3.10 million | -22.3% |
| 1992 | 3.04 million | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 3.04 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.99 million | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 4.35 million | +45.5% |
| 1996 | 4.61 million | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 4.67 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 4.61 million | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 4.62 million | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 4.68 million | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 4.13 million | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 4.25 million | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 4.28 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 3.83 million | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 4.07 million | +6.2% |
| 2006 | 4.41 million | +8.2% |
| 2007 | 4.26 million | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 4.52 million | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 4.77 million | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 4.86 million | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 4.67 million | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 4.68 million | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.00 million | -14.7% |
| 2014 | 3.96 million | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 3.98 million | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 4.01 million | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 3.97 million | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 4.12 million | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 4.18 million | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 4.19 million | +0.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +45.5% | 2.99 million | 4.35 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.66 million | 3.57 million | 3.75 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.90 million | 2.99 million | 4.67 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.32 million | 3.83 million | 4.77 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.24 million | 3.96 million | 4.86 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.19 million | 4.19 million | 4.19 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
More public sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Arms imports 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.87 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0006 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -69.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 78.83 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0266 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 58.47 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 453.17 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 4.19 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.86 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.99 million in 1994.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 19th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (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.