Armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia
Mongolia: Armed forces personnel, total was 18,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Mongolia recorded 18,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia peaked at 33,500 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 14,900, in 1997.
Mongolia ranks 110th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 33,000 | — |
| 1989 | 33,000 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 32,000 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 31,000 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 21,000 | -32.3% |
| 1993 | 18,000 | -14.3% |
| 1994 | 18,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 31,100 | +72.8% |
| 1996 | 33,500 | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 14,900 | -55.5% |
| 1998 | 17,000 | +14.1% |
| 1999 | 16,300 | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 16,300 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16,300 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 16,300 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15,800 | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 15,000 | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 16,000 | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 17,000 | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 17,200 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 17,200 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 17,200 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 17,200 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 17,500 | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 17,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 17,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 17,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18,000 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 17,700 | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 18,000 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 18,000 | +0.0% |
Mongolia compared with similar countries
- Mongolia's 18,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 28% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Mongolia's 18,000 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 12% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia 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 | +72.8% | 18,000 | 31,100 |
| 1997 | -55.5% | 33,500 | 14,900 |
| 1992 | -32.3% | 31,000 | 21,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33,000 | 33,000 | 33,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 23,280 | 14,900 | 33,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 16,190 | 15,000 | 17,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17,530 | 17,200 | 18,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mongolia
More public sector data for Mongolia
- 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)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- 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 Mongolia?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Mongolia was 18,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mongolia?
- The highest recorded value was 33,500 in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mongolia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,900 in 1997.
- How does Mongolia rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Mongolia ranks 110th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Mongolia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mongolia 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.