Armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Armed forces personnel, total was 63,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates stood at 63,000.
The figure is up 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates peaked at 71,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 41,500, in 2002.
That places United Arab Emirates 63rd out of 173 countries 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 United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 43,000 | — |
| 1989 | 43,000 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 66,000 | +53.5% |
| 1991 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 55,000 | -16.7% |
| 1993 | 55,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 60,000 | +9.1% |
| 1995 | 71,000 | +18.3% |
| 1996 | 65,500 | -7.7% |
| 1997 | 65,500 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 65,500 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 65,500 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 66,000 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 41,500 | -37.1% |
| 2003 | 50,500 | +21.7% |
| 2004 | 50,000 | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 51,000 | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 63,000 | +23.5% |
| 2014 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 63,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 2.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 63,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 79% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 43,000 | 43,000 | 43,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 63,500 | 55,000 | 71,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 52,900 | 41,500 | 66,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 59,400 | 51,000 | 63,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 63,000 | 63,000 | 63,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 62 Uzbekistan 68,000 compare
- 64 Australia 60,000 compare
- 65 Singapore 59,000 compare
- 66 Turkmenistan 57,000 compare
More public sector data for United Arab Emirates
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 0 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Arms imports 932.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 84.83 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0017 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates?
- Armed forces personnel, total in United Arab Emirates was 63,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 71,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,500 in 2002.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 63rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.