Armed forces personnel, total in Norway
Norway: Armed forces personnel, total was 25,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Norway, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Norway stood at 25,000.
That represents a change of up 8.7% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Norway peaked at 51,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 16,000, in 2006.
Norway ranks 94th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 37,000 | — |
| 1989 | 43,000 | +16.2% |
| 1990 | 51,000 | +18.6% |
| 1991 | 41,000 | -19.6% |
| 1992 | 36,000 | -12.2% |
| 1993 | 32,000 | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 33,000 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 30,700 | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 30,700 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 34,300 | +11.7% |
| 1998 | 28,870 | -15.8% |
| 1999 | 31,000 | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 27,000 | -12.9% |
| 2001 | 26,700 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 26,600 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 26,600 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 25,000 | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 47,000 | +88.0% |
| 2006 | 16,000 | -66.0% |
| 2007 | 19,000 | +18.8% |
| 2008 | 19,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 26,450 | +39.2% |
| 2010 | 24,450 | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 24,450 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 25,800 | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 25,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 25,800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 24,950 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 23,950 | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 23,000 | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 23,250 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 23,000 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 25,000 | +8.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 25,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Norway's 25,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Norway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +88.0% | 25,000 | 47,000 |
| 2006 | -66.0% | 47,000 | 16,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40,000 | 37,000 | 43,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 34,857 | 28,870 | 51,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,935 | 16,000 | 47,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,445 | 23,000 | 25,800 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More public sector data for Norway
- 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 Norway?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Norway was 25,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 51,000 in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,000 in 2006.
- How does Norway rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Norway ranks 94th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.