Armed forces personnel, total in Yemen
Yemen: Armed forces personnel, total was 40,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Yemen, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 40,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
That represents a change of down 71.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Yemen peaked at 146,300 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 20,000, in 2014.
Yemen ranks 81st 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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 64,100 | — |
| 1989 | 62,000 | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 127,000 | +104.8% |
| 1991 | 127,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 64,000 | -49.6% |
| 1993 | 64,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 69,000 | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 69,500 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 112,000 | +61.2% |
| 1997 | 146,300 | +30.6% |
| 1998 | 136,300 | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 136,300 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 136,300 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 124,000 | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 136,500 | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 136,700 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 136,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 138,000 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 137,900 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20,000 | -85.5% |
| 2015 | 20,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 40,000 | +100.0% |
| 2018 | 20,000 | -50.0% |
| 2019 | 40,000 | +100.0% |
| 2020 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 40,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 40,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Yemen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +104.8% | 62,000 | 127,000 |
| 2017 | +100.0% | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 2019 | +100.0% | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 2014 | -85.5% | 137,900 | 20,000 |
| 1996 | +61.2% | 69,500 | 112,000 |
| 2018 | -50.0% | 40,000 | 20,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63,050 | 62,000 | 64,100 | 2 |
| 1990s | 105,140 | 64,000 | 146,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 135,940 | 124,000 | 138,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71,160 | 20,000 | 137,900 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More public sector data for Yemen
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2014)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2014)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2009)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2009)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Yemen?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Yemen was 40,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 146,300 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,000 in 2014.
- How does Yemen rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Yemen ranks 81st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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.