Armed forces personnel, total in Thailand
Thailand: Armed forces personnel, total was 455,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Thailand, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Thailand stood at 455,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Thailand peaked at 474,550 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 235,300, in 1985.
That places Thailand 16th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Thailand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 235,300 | — |
| 1989 | 283,000 | +20.3% |
| 1990 | 283,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 283,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 283,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 295,000 | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 290,000 | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 420,500 | +45.0% |
| 1996 | 393,500 | -6.4% |
| 1997 | 337,000 | -14.4% |
| 1998 | 377,000 | +11.9% |
| 1999 | 377,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 416,600 | +10.5% |
| 2001 | 410,000 | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 419,000 | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 427,200 | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 419,000 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 421,000 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 420,000 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 420,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 421,000 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 419,560 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 419,560 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 474,550 | +13.1% |
| 2012 | 453,550 | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 453,550 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 453,550 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 454,550 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 454,550 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 455,000 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 454,850 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 455,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 455,000 | +0.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 455,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 7.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 455,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 3.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Thailand 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 | +45.0% | 290,000 | 420,500 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 259,150 | 235,300 | 283,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 333,900 | 283,000 | 420,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 419,336 | 410,000 | 427,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 452,871 | 419,560 | 474,550 | 10 |
| 2020s | 455,000 | 455,000 | 455,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More public sector data for Thailand
- 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 3 (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 Thailand?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Thailand was 455,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 474,550 in 2011.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 235,300 in 1985.
- How does Thailand rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Thailand ranks 16th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Thailand 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.