Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine

Ukraine: Armed forces personnel, total was 298,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
298,000
Change on year
down 4.2%
World rank
24th
of 173 countries
All-time high
518,500
in 1995
All-time low
121,500
in 2013
Years of data
29
1992–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine, 1992–2020

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k1992200620201992: 430.0k1993: 380.0k1994: 350.0k1995: 518.5k1996: 466.8k1997: 453.4k1998: 449.4k1999: 428.0k2000: 420.4k2001: 419.8k2002: 414.8k2003: 403.0k2004: 271.0k2005: 273.0k2006: 215.0k2007: 215.0k2008: 215.0k2009: 214.8k2010: 214.8k2011: 214.8k2012: 214.8k2013: 121.5k2014: 204.0k2015: 256.0k2016: 292.0k2017: 297.0k2018: 297.0k2019: 311.0k2020: 298.0k

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine stood at 298,000.

The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 38.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine peaked at 518,500 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 121,500, in 2013.

That places Ukraine 24th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine, 1992 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1992 430,000
1993 380,000 -11.6%
1994 350,000 -7.9%
1995 518,500 +48.1%
1996 466,800 -10.0%
1997 453,400 -2.9%
1998 449,400 -0.9%
1999 428,000 -4.8%
2000 420,400 -1.8%
2001 419,800 -0.1%
2002 414,800 -1.2%
2003 403,000 -2.8%
2004 271,000 -32.8%
2005 273,000 +0.7%
2006 215,000 -21.2%
2007 215,000 +0.0%
2008 215,000 +0.0%
2009 214,825 -0.1%
2010 214,825 +0.0%
2011 214,850 +0.0%
2012 214,850 +0.0%
2013 121,500 -43.4%
2014 204,000 +67.9%
2015 256,000 +25.5%
2016 292,000 +14.1%
2017 297,000 +1.7%
2018 297,000 +0.0%
2019 311,000 +4.7%
2020 298,000 -4.2%

Ukraine compared with similar countries

  • Ukraine's 298,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 4.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Ukraine's 298,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 11.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine 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.

YearChange FromTo
2014 +67.9% 121,500 204,000
1995 +48.1% 350,000 518,500
2013 -43.4% 214,850 121,500
2004 -32.8% 403,000 271,000
2015 +25.5% 204,000 256,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 434,512 350,000 518,500 8
2000s 306,182 214,825 420,400 10
2010s 242,302 121,500 311,000 10
2020s 298,000 298,000 298,000 1

Countries ranked near Ukraine

  1. 21 Algeria 326,000 compare
  2. 22 Sri Lanka 317,000 compare
  3. 23 France 304,000 compare
  4. 25 Saudi Arabia 282,000 compare
  5. 26 Syria 269,000 compare
  6. 27 Japan 261,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Ukraine

All data for Ukraine →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine?
Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine was 298,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Ukraine?
The highest recorded value was 518,500 in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Ukraine?
The lowest recorded value was 121,500 in 2013.
How does Ukraine rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Ukraine ranks 24th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Ukraine?
Over the last ten years it is up 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ukraine 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 — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total/ukraine/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total/ukraine/">Armed forces personnel, total in Ukraine</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.