Contact Contacts
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Canada

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Canada in 2022 — 67,000 people. Ranked 55 in the world out of 189. Since 1920, the indicator has risen by 1,575%.

2022 67,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 55of 189
Period maximum 801,000 people1945
Period minimum 4,000 people1920

Trend over time

1920–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Canada, 1920–20220250,000500,000750,0001M19201931194219531964197519861997200820191920: 4,000 people1922: 4,000 people1924: 4,000 people1926: 4,000 people1928: 5,000 people1930: 5,000 people1932: 5,000 people1934: 5,000 people1936: 6,000 people1938: 6,000 people1940: 21,000 people1942: 400,000 people1944: 728,000 people1946: 46,000 people1948: 40,000 people1950: 45,000 people1952: 102,000 people1954: 108,000 people1956: 116,000 people1958: 119,000 people1960: 121,000 people1962: 124,000 people1964: 120,000 people1966: 110,000 people1968: 105,000 people1970: 95,000 people1972: 90,000 people1974: 82,000 people1976: 78,000 people1978: 79,000 people1980: 82,000 people1982: 81,000 people1984: 82,000 people1986: 85,000 people1988: 88,000 people1990: 87,000 people1992: 82,000 people1994: 75,000 people1996: 66,000 people1998: 60,000 people2000: 59,000 people2002: 52,000 people2004: 57,000 people2006: 62,000 people2008: 64,000 people2010: 66,000 people2012: 66,000 people2014: 66,000 people2016: 66,000 people2018: 63,000 people2020: 67,000 people2022: 67,000 people
Change over the period: +63,000 (+1,575%) Average annual rate: 2.8 %

Comparison, 2022

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Canada

Canada 67,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
High-income countries computed 5.91M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Canada, by year Canada All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 67,000 +0 +0%
2021 67,000 +0 +0%
2020 67,000 +0 +0%
2019 67,000 +4,000 +6.35%
2018 63,000 +0 +0%
2017 63,000 −3,000 −4.55%
2016 66,000 +0 +0%
2015 66,000 +0 +0%
2014 66,000 +0 +0%
2013 66,000 +0 +0%
2012 66,000 +0 +0%
2011 66,000 +0 +0%
2010 66,000 +2,000 +3.13%
2009 64,000 +0 +0%
2008 64,000 +1,000 +1.59%
2007 63,000 +1,000 +1.61%
2006 62,000 +0 +0%
2005 62,000 +5,000 +8.77%
2004 57,000 +5,000 +9.62%
2003 52,000 +0 +0%
2002 52,000 −5,000 −8.77%
2001 57,000 −2,000 −3.39%
2000 59,000 −1,000 −1.67%
1999 60,000 +0 +0%
1998 60,000 −1,000 −1.64%
1997 61,000 −5,000 −7.58%
1996 66,000 −4,000 −5.71%
1995 70,000 −5,000 −6.67%
1994 75,000 −1,000 −1.32%
1993 76,000 −6,000 −7.32%
1992 82,000 −4,000 −4.65%
1991 86,000 −1,000 −1.15%
1990 87,000 −1,000 −1.14%
1989 88,000 +0 +0%
1988 88,000 +2,000 +2.33%
1987 86,000 +1,000 +1.18%
1986 85,000 +2,000 +2.41%
1985 83,000 +1,000 +1.22%
1984 82,000 +1,000 +1.23%
1983 81,000 +0 +0%
1982 81,000 +0 +0%
1981 81,000 −1,000 −1.22%
1980 82,000 +3,000 +3.8%
1979 79,000 +0 +0%
1978 79,000 +1,000 +1.28%
1977 78,000 +0 +0%
1976 78,000 +0 +0%
1975 78,000 −4,000 −4.88%
1974 82,000 +0 +0%
1973 82,000 −8,000 −8.89%
1972 90,000 +5,000 +5.88%
1971 85,000 −10,000 −10.53%
1970 95,000 −5,000 −5%
1969 100,000 −5,000 −4.76%
1968 105,000 +0 +0%
1967 105,000 −5,000 −4.55%
1966 110,000 −10,000 −8.33%
1965 120,000 +0 +0%
1964 120,000 +0 +0%
1963 120,000 −4,000 −3.23%
1962 124,000 +0 +0%
1961 124,000 +3,000 +2.48%
1960 121,000 +1,000 +0.83%
1959 120,000 +1,000 +0.84%
1958 119,000 −2,000 −1.65%
1957 121,000 +5,000 +4.31%
1956 116,000 +4,000 +3.57%
1955 112,000 +4,000 +3.7%
1954 108,000 +4,000 +3.85%
1953 104,000 +2,000 +1.96%
1952 102,000 +40,000 +64.52%
1951 62,000 +17,000 +37.78%
1950 45,000 −2,000 −4.26%
1949 47,000 +7,000 +17.5%
1948 40,000 −3,000 −6.98%
1947 43,000 −3,000 −6.52%
1946 46,000 −755,000 −94.26%
1945 801,000 +73,000 +10.03%
1944 728,000 −12,000 −1.62%
1943 740,000 +340,000 +85%
1942 400,000 +120,000 +42.86%
1941 280,000 +259,000 +1,233.33%
1940 21,000 +15,000 +250%
1939 6,000 +0 +0%
1938 6,000 +0 +0%
1937 6,000 +0 +0%
1936 6,000 +2,000 +50%
1935 4,000 −1,000 −20%
1934 5,000 +0 +0%
1933 5,000 +0 +0%
1932 5,000 −1,000 −16.67%
1931 6,000 +1,000 +20%
1930 5,000 +1,000 +25%
1929 4,000 −1,000 −20%
1928 5,000 +1,000 +25%
1927 4,000 +0 +0%
1926 4,000 +0 +0%
1925 4,000 +0 +0%
1924 4,000 +0 +0%
1923 4,000 +0 +0%
1922 4,000 +0 +0%
1921 4,000 +0 +0%
1920 4,000 — —

Northern America, 2022

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

US United States 1.36M CA Canada 67,000
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The number of military personnel on active duty. The series was assembled by the Correlates of War project and continued with data of the International Institute for Strategic Studies; unlike the World Bank series, which begins in 1985, it reaches 1816 and makes military buildup over two centuries visible — including both world wars.

Important: Over two hundred years borders and the composition of countries changed, so the series before the middle of the 20th century refers to the territory of the time: comparing adjacent years is reliable, comparing 1830 with 2020 only loosely so.

Source: Military Expenditure Database (SIPRI), license SIPRI terms of use.

Other indicators for Canada

Defense Armed forces personnel

The number of active-duty military personnel and paramilitary forces.

Canada by year Defense Armed forces as a share of the population

What share of a country’s population military personnel make up — a measure of how militarized a society is.

Canada by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Canada by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Canada by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Canada by year Defense Arms exports

Transfers of major conventional weapons abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV).

Canada by year
All indicators for Canada