Armed forces personnel, total in World
World: Armed forces personnel, total was 27.41 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in World, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in World is 27.41 million, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in World peaked at 30.20 million in 1996 and was at its lowest, 22.21 million, in 1985.
That places World 1st out of 46 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22.21 million | — |
| 1989 | 24.30 million | +9.4% |
| 1990 | 23.92 million | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 22.73 million | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 24.53 million | +8.0% |
| 1993 | 23.74 million | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 23.20 million | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 30.18 million | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 30.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 29.86 million | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 29.93 million | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 29.58 million | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 29.35 million | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 28.21 million | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 28.31 million | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 28.16 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 27.08 million | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 28.54 million | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 27.03 million | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 27.25 million | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 27.49 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 27.92 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 28.13 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 28.02 million | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 28.15 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 27.21 million | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 27.31 million | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 27.44 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 27.54 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 27.41 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 27.65 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 27.67 million | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 27.41 million | -1.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in World 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 | +30.1% | 23.20 million | 30.18 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.25 million | 22.21 million | 24.30 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 26.79 million | 22.73 million | 30.20 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.94 million | 27.03 million | 29.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.65 million | 27.21 million | 28.15 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 27.41 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near World
More public sector data for World
- Arms imports 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.54 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -2.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 325.74 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0237 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 11.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.65 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 228.6 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in World?
- Armed forces personnel, total in World was 27.41 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 30.20 million in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.21 million in 1985.
- How does World rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- World ranks 1st out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.