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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Mexico

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Mexico in 2022 — 216,000 people. Ranked 23 in the world out of 189. Since 1831, the indicator has risen by 764%.

2022 216,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 23of 189
Period maximum 280,000 people2011
Period minimum 10,000 people1863

Trend over time

1831–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Mexico, 1831–20220100,000200,000300,000183118511871189119111931195119711991201120221831: 25,000 people1835: 25,000 people1839: 25,000 people1843: 20,000 people1847: 20,000 people1851: 24,000 people1855: 26,000 people1859: 26,000 people1863: 10,000 people1867: 33,000 people1871: 18,000 people1875: 22,000 people1879: 22,000 people1883: 21,000 people1887: 21,000 people1891: 38,000 people1895: 38,000 people1899: 33,000 people1903: 29,000 people1907: 28,000 people1911: 32,000 people1915: 180,000 people1920: 120,000 people1924: 52,000 people1928: 74,000 people1932: 54,000 people1936: 48,000 people1942: 52,000 people1948: 61,000 people1952: 56,000 people1956: 48,000 people1960: 50,000 people1964: 65,000 people1968: 75,000 people1972: 80,000 people1976: 100,000 people1980: 120,000 people1984: 129,000 people1988: 154,000 people1992: 175,000 people1996: 175,000 people2000: 193,000 people2004: 193,000 people2008: 249,000 people2012: 280,000 people2016: 277,000 people2020: 236,000 people2022: 216,000 people
Change over the period: +191,000 (+764%) Average annual rate: 1.14 %

Comparison, 2022

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

Mexico 216,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Latin America & Caribbean computed 1.49M people
Central America computed 288,000 people
Upper-middle-income countries computed 5.23M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Mexico, by year Mexico All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 216,000 +0 +0%
2021 216,000 −20,000 −8.47%
2020 236,000 −41,000 −14.8%
2019 277,000 +0 +0%
2018 277,000 +0 +0%
2017 277,000 +0 +0%
2016 277,000 +10,000 +3.75%
2015 267,000 −3,000 −1.11%
2014 270,000 +0 +0%
2013 270,000 −10,000 −3.57%
2012 280,000 +0 +0%
2011 280,000 +12,000 +4.48%
2010 268,000 +13,000 +5.1%
2009 255,000 +6,000 +2.41%
2008 249,000 +11,000 +4.62%
2007 238,000 +45,000 +23.32%
2006 193,000 +0 +0%
2005 193,000 +0 +0%
2004 193,000 +0 +0%
2003 193,000 +0 +0%
2002 193,000 +0 +0%
2001 193,000 +0 +0%
2000 193,000 −62,000 −24.31%
1999 255,000 +0 +0%
1998 255,000 +5,000 +2%
1997 250,000 +75,000 +42.86%
1996 175,000 +0 +0%
1995 175,000 +0 +0%
1994 175,000 +0 +0%
1993 175,000 +0 +0%
1992 175,000 +0 +0%
1991 175,000 +0 +0%
1990 175,000 +21,000 +13.64%
1989 154,000 +0 +0%
1988 154,000 +13,000 +9.22%
1987 141,000 +0 +0%
1986 141,000 +1,000 +0.71%
1985 140,000 +11,000 +8.53%
1984 129,000 −1,000 −0.77%
1983 130,000 +0 +0%
1982 130,000 +5,000 +4%
1981 125,000 +5,000 +4.17%
1980 120,000 +0 +0%
1979 120,000 +0 +0%
1978 120,000 +20,000 +20%
1977 100,000 +0 +0%
1976 100,000 +5,000 +5.26%
1975 95,000 +10,000 +11.76%
1974 85,000 +5,000 +6.25%
1973 80,000 +0 +0%
1972 80,000 +0 +0%
1971 80,000 +0 +0%
1970 80,000 +5,000 +6.67%
1969 75,000 +0 +0%
1968 75,000 −5,000 −6.25%
1967 80,000 +5,000 +6.67%
1966 75,000 +10,000 +15.38%
1965 65,000 +0 +0%
1964 65,000 +0 +0%
1963 65,000 +1,000 +1.56%
1962 64,000 +4,000 +6.67%
1961 60,000 +10,000 +20%
1960 50,000 +0 +0%
1959 50,000 +1,000 +2.04%
1958 49,000 +1,000 +2.08%
1957 48,000 +0 +0%
1956 48,000 +0 +0%
1955 48,000 −8,000 −14.29%
1954 56,000 +0 +0%
1953 56,000 +0 +0%
1952 56,000 −4,000 −6.67%
1951 60,000 +5,000 +9.09%
1950 55,000 −9,000 −14.06%
1949 64,000 +3,000 +4.92%
1948 61,000 +0 +0%
1947 61,000 +0 +0%
1946 61,000 — —
1943 80,000 +28,000 +53.85%
1942 52,000 — —
1939 49,000 +0 +0%
1938 49,000 −5,000 −9.26%
1937 54,000 +6,000 +12.5%
1936 48,000 −6,000 −11.11%
1935 54,000 −5,000 −8.47%
1934 59,000 +5,000 +9.26%
1933 54,000 +0 +0%
1932 54,000 −7,000 −11.48%
1931 61,000 −4,000 −6.15%
1930 65,000 −5,000 −7.14%
1929 70,000 −4,000 −5.41%
1928 74,000 +5,000 +7.25%
1927 69,000 +5,000 +7.81%
1926 64,000 +0 +0%
1925 64,000 +12,000 +23.08%
1924 52,000 −14,000 −21.21%
1923 66,000 −19,000 −22.35%
1922 85,000 −18,000 −17.48%
1921 103,000 −17,000 −14.17%
1920 120,000 −17,000 −12.41%
1919 137,000 +82,000 +149.09%
1918 55,000 — —
1916 200,000 +20,000 +11.11%
1915 180,000 +150,000 +500%
1914 30,000 −1,000 −3.23%
1913 31,000 −26,000 −45.61%
1912 57,000 +25,000 +78.13%
1911 32,000 +1,000 +3.23%
1910 31,000 +1,000 +3.33%
1909 30,000 +1,000 +3.45%
1908 29,000 +1,000 +3.57%
1907 28,000 +0 +0%
1906 28,000 −1,000 −3.45%
1905 29,000 +0 +0%
1904 29,000 +0 +0%
1903 29,000 −1,000 −3.33%
1902 30,000 −3,000 −9.09%
1901 33,000 +0 +0%
1900 33,000 +0 +0%
1899 33,000 +0 +0%
1898 33,000 +0 +0%
1897 33,000 −2,000 −5.71%
1896 35,000 −3,000 −7.89%
1895 38,000 +0 +0%
1894 38,000 +0 +0%
1893 38,000 −11,000 −22.45%
1892 49,000 +11,000 +28.95%
1891 38,000 +1,000 +2.7%
1890 37,000 +0 +0%
1889 37,000 +5,000 +15.63%
1888 32,000 +11,000 +52.38%
1887 21,000 +0 +0%
1886 21,000 +0 +0%
1885 21,000 +0 +0%
1884 21,000 +0 +0%
1883 21,000 −1,000 −4.55%
1882 22,000 +0 +0%
1881 22,000 −3,000 −12%
1880 25,000 +3,000 +13.64%
1879 22,000 +0 +0%
1878 22,000 +0 +0%
1877 22,000 +0 +0%
1876 22,000 +0 +0%
1875 22,000 +0 +0%
1874 22,000 +2,000 +10%
1873 20,000 +2,000 +11.11%
1872 18,000 +0 +0%
1871 18,000 +0 +0%
1870 18,000 +0 +0%
1869 18,000 −8,000 −30.77%
1868 26,000 −7,000 −21.21%
1867 33,000 −7,000 −17.5%
1866 40,000 +19,000 +90.48%
1865 21,000 +6,000 +40%
1864 15,000 +5,000 +50%
1863 10,000 −17,000 −62.96%
1862 27,000 +1,000 +3.85%
1861 26,000 +0 +0%
1860 26,000 +0 +0%
1859 26,000 +0 +0%
1858 26,000 +0 +0%
1857 26,000 +0 +0%
1856 26,000 +0 +0%
1855 26,000 −1,000 −3.7%
1854 27,000 +1,000 +3.85%
1853 26,000 +1,000 +4%
1852 25,000 +1,000 +4.17%
1851 24,000 +1,000 +4.35%
1850 23,000 +1,000 +4.55%
1849 22,000 +1,000 +4.76%
1848 21,000 +1,000 +5%
1847 20,000 +0 +0%
1846 20,000 +0 +0%
1845 20,000 +0 +0%
1844 20,000 +0 +0%
1843 20,000 +0 +0%
1842 20,000 +0 +0%
1841 20,000 +0 +0%
1840 20,000 −5,000 −20%
1839 25,000 +0 +0%
1838 25,000 +0 +0%
1837 25,000 +0 +0%
1836 25,000 +0 +0%
1835 25,000 +0 +0%
1834 25,000 +0 +0%
1833 25,000 +0 +0%
1832 25,000 +0 +0%
1831 25,000 — —

Central America, 2022

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

MX Mexico 216,000 SV El Salvador 25,000 GT Guatemala 18,000 HN Honduras 15,000 NI Nicaragua 12,000 BZ Belize 2,000 CR Costa Rica 0 PA Panama 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 Mexico

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Mexico 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.

Mexico by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Mexico by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Mexico by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Mexico by year Defense Arms exports

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

Mexico by year
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