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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Iraq

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Iraq in 2022 — 193,000 people. Ranked 26 in the world out of 189. Since 1932, the indicator has risen by 1,508.3%.

2022 193,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 26of 189
Period maximum 1.39M people1990
Period minimum 10,000 people1933

Trend over time

1932–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Iraq, 1932–20220500,0001M1.5M193219411950195919681977198619952004201320221932: 12,000 people1934: 10,000 people1936: 19,000 people1938: 28,000 people1946: 51,000 people1948: 31,000 people1950: 35,000 people1952: 42,000 people1954: 49,000 people1956: 57,000 people1958: 64,000 people1960: 74,000 people1962: 91,000 people1964: 80,000 people1966: 90,000 people1968: 90,000 people1970: 95,000 people1972: 105,000 people1974: 110,000 people1976: 190,000 people1978: 362,000 people1980: 430,000 people1982: 404,000 people1984: 788,000 people1986: 800,000 people1988: 1,000,000 people1990: 1,390,000 people1992: 407,000 people1994: 425,000 people1996: 450,000 people1998: 420,000 people2000: 429,000 people2002: 389,000 people2004: 284,000 people2006: 227,000 people2008: 495,000 people2010: 578,000 people2012: 271,000 people2014: 271,000 people2016: 64,000 people2018: 64,000 people2020: 193,000 people2022: 193,000 people
Change over the period: +181,000 (+1,508.33%) Average annual rate: 3.13 %

Comparison, 2022

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

Iraq 193,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Middle East & North Africa computed 2.58M people
Western Asia computed 1.65M people
Upper-middle-income countries computed 5.23M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Iraq, by year Iraq All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 193,000 +0 +0%
2021 193,000 +0 +0%
2020 193,000 +129,000 +201.56%
2019 64,000 +0 +0%
2018 64,000 +0 +0%
2017 64,000 +0 +0%
2016 64,000 −114,000 −64.04%
2015 178,000 −93,000 −34.32%
2014 271,000 +0 +0%
2013 271,000 +0 +0%
2012 271,000 +25,000 +10.16%
2011 246,000 −332,000 −57.44%
2010 578,000 +1,000 +0.17%
2009 577,000 +82,000 +16.57%
2008 495,000 +268,000 +118.06%
2007 227,000 +0 +0%
2006 227,000 +47,000 +26.11%
2005 180,000 −104,000 −36.62%
2004 284,000 −105,000 −26.99%
2003 389,000 +0 +0%
2002 389,000 −35,000 −8.25%
2001 424,000 −5,000 −1.17%
2000 429,000 +9,000 +2.14%
1999 420,000 +0 +0%
1998 420,000 +20,000 +5%
1997 400,000 −50,000 −11.11%
1996 450,000 +0 +0%
1995 450,000 +25,000 +5.88%
1994 425,000 +18,000 +4.42%
1993 407,000 +0 +0%
1992 407,000 −68,000 −14.32%
1991 475,000 −915,000 −65.83%
1990 1.39M +390,000 +39%
1989 1M +0 +0%
1988 1M +100,000 +11.11%
1987 900,000 +100,000 +12.5%
1986 800,000 +12,000 +1.52%
1985 788,000 +0 +0%
1984 788,000 +354,000 +81.57%
1983 434,000 +30,000 +7.43%
1982 404,000 +12,000 +3.06%
1981 392,000 −38,000 −8.84%
1980 430,000 −14,000 −3.15%
1979 444,000 +82,000 +22.65%
1978 362,000 +222,000 +158.57%
1977 140,000 −50,000 −26.32%
1976 190,000 +35,000 +22.58%
1975 155,000 +45,000 +40.91%
1974 110,000 +5,000 +4.76%
1973 105,000 +0 +0%
1972 105,000 +0 +0%
1971 105,000 +10,000 +10.53%
1970 95,000 +5,000 +5.56%
1969 90,000 +0 +0%
1968 90,000 +0 +0%
1967 90,000 +0 +0%
1966 90,000 +0 +0%
1965 90,000 +10,000 +12.5%
1964 80,000 +0 +0%
1963 80,000 −11,000 −12.09%
1962 91,000 +1,000 +1.11%
1961 90,000 +16,000 +21.62%
1960 74,000 +17,000 +29.82%
1959 57,000 −7,000 −10.94%
1958 64,000 +4,000 +6.67%
1957 60,000 +3,000 +5.26%
1956 57,000 +4,000 +7.55%
1955 53,000 +4,000 +8.16%
1954 49,000 +3,000 +6.52%
1953 46,000 +4,000 +9.52%
1952 42,000 +4,000 +10.53%
1951 38,000 +3,000 +8.57%
1950 35,000 +4,000 +12.9%
1949 31,000 +0 +0%
1948 31,000 +0 +0%
1947 31,000 −20,000 −39.22%
1946 51,000 — —
1939 19,000 −9,000 −32.14%
1938 28,000 +5,000 +21.74%
1937 23,000 +4,000 +21.05%
1936 19,000 +5,000 +35.71%
1935 14,000 +4,000 +40%
1934 10,000 +0 +0%
1933 10,000 −2,000 −16.67%
1932 12,000 — —

Western Asia, 2022

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

TR Türkiye 355,000 SA Saudi Arabia 257,000 IQ Iraq 193,000 IL Israel 170,000 SY Syria 169,000 JO Jordan 101,000 AE United Arab Emirates 83,000 AZ Azerbaijan 64,000 LB Lebanon 60,000 AM Armenia 43,000 OM Oman 43,000 YE Yemen 40,000 GE Georgia 21,000 KW Kuwait 18,000 QA Qatar 17,000 CY Cyprus 12,000 BH Bahrain 8,000
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 Iraq

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Iraq 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.

Iraq by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Iraq by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Iraq by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Iraq by year Defense Arms exports

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

Iraq by year
All indicators for Iraq