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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Germany

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Germany in 2022 — 183,000 people. Ranked 27 in the world out of 189. Since 1816, the indicator has risen by 40.8%.

2022 183,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 27of 189
Period maximum 8M people1918
Period minimum 114,000 people1919

Trend over time

1816–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Germany, 1816–202202M4M6M8M181618371858187919001921194219631984200520221816: 130,000 people1819: 130,000 people1822: 130,000 people1825: 130,000 people1828: 130,000 people1831: 131,000 people1834: 134,000 people1837: 134,000 people1840: 135,000 people1843: 135,000 people1846: 135,000 people1849: 131,000 people1852: 138,000 people1855: 142,000 people1858: 153,000 people1861: 203,000 people1864: 212,000 people1867: 219,000 people1870: 319,000 people1873: 426,000 people1876: 429,000 people1879: 430,000 people1882: 455,000 people1885: 459,000 people1888: 504,000 people1891: 524,000 people1894: 601,000 people1897: 604,000 people1900: 624,000 people1903: 636,000 people1906: 653,000 people1909: 667,000 people1912: 716,000 people1915: 3,823,000 people1918: 8,000,000 people1921: 114,000 people1924: 114,000 people1927: 114,000 people1930: 114,000 people1933: 118,000 people1936: 596,000 people1939: 2,750,000 people1942: 7,028,000 people1945: 5,300,000 people1992: 442,000 people1995: 352,000 people1998: 333,000 people2001: 308,000 people2004: 284,000 people2007: 246,000 people2010: 251,000 people2013: 196,000 people2016: 179,000 people2019: 180,000 people2022: 183,000 people
Change over the period: +53,000 (+40.77%) Average annual rate: 0.17 %

Comparison, 2022

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

Germany 183,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Europe & Central Asia computed 4.15M people
Western Europe computed 486,000 people
High-income countries computed 5.91M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Germany, by year Germany All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 183,000 +0 +0%
2021 183,000 +2,000 +1.1%
2020 181,000 +1,000 +0.56%
2019 180,000 +1,000 +0.56%
2018 179,000 +2,000 +1.13%
2017 177,000 −2,000 −1.12%
2016 179,000 −3,000 −1.65%
2015 182,000 −4,000 −2.15%
2014 186,000 −10,000 −5.1%
2013 196,000 −55,000 −21.91%
2012 251,000 +0 +0%
2011 251,000 +0 +0%
2010 251,000 +7,000 +2.87%
2009 244,000 −2,000 −0.81%
2008 246,000 +0 +0%
2007 246,000 −39,000 −13.68%
2006 285,000 +0 +0%
2005 285,000 +1,000 +0.35%
2004 284,000 +0 +0%
2003 284,000 −12,000 −4.05%
2002 296,000 −12,000 −3.9%
2001 308,000 +87,000 +39.37%
2000 221,000 −110,000 −33.23%
1999 331,000 −2,000 −0.6%
1998 333,000 −2,000 −0.6%
1997 335,000 −4,000 −1.18%
1996 339,000 −13,000 −3.69%
1995 352,000 −10,000 −2.76%
1994 362,000 −36,000 −9.05%
1993 398,000 −44,000 −9.95%
1992 442,000 −15,000 −3.28%
1991 457,000 −88,000 −16.15%
1990 545,000 — —
1945 5.3M −828,000 −13.51%
1944 6.13M −829,000 −11.92%
1943 6.96M −71,000 −1.01%
1942 7.03M −72,000 −1.01%
1941 7.1M +3.8M +115.15%
1940 3.3M +550,000 +20%
1939 2.75M +1.97M +251.66%
1938 782,000 +179,000 +29.68%
1937 603,000 +7,000 +1.17%
1936 596,000 +135,000 +29.28%
1935 461,000 +146,000 +46.35%
1934 315,000 +197,000 +166.95%
1933 118,000 +4,000 +3.51%
1932 114,000 +0 +0%
1931 114,000 +0 +0%
1930 114,000 +0 +0%
1929 114,000 +0 +0%
1928 114,000 +0 +0%
1927 114,000 +0 +0%
1926 114,000 +0 +0%
1925 114,000 +0 +0%
1924 114,000 +0 +0%
1923 114,000 +0 +0%
1922 114,000 +0 +0%
1921 114,000 +0 +0%
1920 114,000 +0 +0%
1919 114,000 −7.89M −98.58%
1918 8M +2.62M +48.7%
1917 5.38M +800,000 +17.47%
1916 4.58M +757,000 +19.8%
1915 3.82M +2.96M +343.5%
1914 862,000 +3,000 +0.35%
1913 859,000 +143,000 +19.97%
1912 716,000 +39,000 +5.76%
1911 677,000 +4,000 +0.59%
1910 673,000 +6,000 +0.9%
1909 667,000 +4,000 +0.6%
1908 663,000 +5,000 +0.76%
1907 658,000 +5,000 +0.77%
1906 653,000 +5,000 +0.77%
1905 648,000 +6,000 +0.93%
1904 642,000 +6,000 +0.94%
1903 636,000 −2,000 −0.31%
1902 638,000 +8,000 +1.27%
1901 630,000 +6,000 +0.96%
1900 624,000 +5,000 +0.81%
1899 619,000 +13,000 +2.15%
1898 606,000 +2,000 +0.33%
1897 604,000 +2,000 +0.33%
1896 602,000 +0 +0%
1895 602,000 +1,000 +0.17%
1894 601,000 +0 +0%
1893 601,000 +75,000 +14.26%
1892 526,000 +2,000 +0.38%
1891 524,000 +19,000 +3.76%
1890 505,000 +1,000 +0.2%
1889 504,000 +0 +0%
1888 504,000 +1,000 +0.2%
1887 503,000 +43,000 +9.35%
1886 460,000 +1,000 +0.22%
1885 459,000 +2,000 +0.44%
1884 457,000 +0 +0%
1883 457,000 +2,000 +0.44%
1882 455,000 −1,000 −0.22%
1881 456,000 +26,000 +6.05%
1880 430,000 +0 +0%
1879 430,000 +1,000 +0.23%
1878 429,000 +0 +0%
1877 429,000 +0 +0%
1876 429,000 +1,000 +0.23%
1875 428,000 −1,000 −0.23%
1874 429,000 +3,000 +0.7%
1873 426,000 −1,000 −0.23%
1872 427,000 −573,000 −57.3%
1871 1M +681,000 +213.48%
1870 319,000 +1,000 +0.31%
1869 318,000 +1,000 +0.32%
1868 317,000 +98,000 +44.75%
1867 219,000 +5,000 +2.34%
1866 214,000 −2,000 −0.93%
1865 216,000 +4,000 +1.89%
1864 212,000 −4,000 −1.85%
1863 216,000 +3,000 +1.41%
1862 213,000 +10,000 +4.93%
1861 203,000 +2,000 +1%
1860 201,000 +48,000 +31.37%
1859 153,000 +0 +0%
1858 153,000 +11,000 +7.75%
1857 142,000 +0 +0%
1856 142,000 +0 +0%
1855 142,000 +3,000 +2.16%
1854 139,000 +0 +0%
1853 139,000 +1,000 +0.72%
1852 138,000 +4,000 +2.99%
1851 134,000 +3,000 +2.29%
1850 131,000 +0 +0%
1849 131,000 −4,000 −2.96%
1848 135,000 +1,000 +0.75%
1847 134,000 −1,000 −0.74%
1846 135,000 +0 +0%
1845 135,000 +0 +0%
1844 135,000 +0 +0%
1843 135,000 +0 +0%
1842 135,000 +0 +0%
1841 135,000 +0 +0%
1840 135,000 +1,000 +0.75%
1839 134,000 −31,000 −18.79%
1838 165,000 +31,000 +23.13%
1837 134,000 +0 +0%
1836 134,000 +0 +0%
1835 134,000 +0 +0%
1834 134,000 +0 +0%
1833 134,000 +2,000 +1.52%
1832 132,000 +1,000 +0.76%
1831 131,000 +1,000 +0.77%
1830 130,000 +0 +0%
1829 130,000 +0 +0%
1828 130,000 +0 +0%
1827 130,000 +0 +0%
1826 130,000 +0 +0%
1825 130,000 +0 +0%
1824 130,000 +0 +0%
1823 130,000 +0 +0%
1822 130,000 +0 +0%
1821 130,000 +0 +0%
1820 130,000 +0 +0%
1819 130,000 +0 +0%
1818 130,000 +0 +0%
1817 130,000 +0 +0%
1816 130,000 — —

Western Europe, 2022

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

FR France 203,000 DE Germany 183,000 NL Netherlands 34,000 AT Austria 23,000 BE Belgium 23,000 CH Switzerland 20,000 LI Liechtenstein 0 LU Luxembourg 0
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 Germany

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Germany 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.

Germany by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Germany by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Germany by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Germany by year Defense Arms exports

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

Germany by year
All indicators for Germany