Armed forces personnel since 1816 in NATO in 2022 — 3,271,000 people. Since 1918, the indicator has fallen by 87.4%.
1918–2022 · people
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: NATO
| Year | people | Change | Change, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3.27M | −54,000 | −1.62% |
| 2021 | 3.33M | +44,000 | +1.34% |
| 2020 | 3.28M | −2,000 | −0.06% |
| 2019 | 3.28M | +18,000 | +0.55% |
| 2018 | 3.27M | +2,000 | +0.06% |
| 2017 | 3.26M | −210,000 | −6.05% |
| 2016 | 3.47M | −61,000 | −1.73% |
| 2015 | 3.53M | −98,000 | −2.7% |
| 2014 | 3.63M | −53,000 | −1.44% |
| 2013 | 3.69M | −142,000 | −3.71% |
| 2012 | 3.83M | −3,000 | −0.08% |
| 2011 | 3.83M | −243,000 | −5.97% |
| 2010 | 4.07M | −67,000 | −1.62% |
| 2009 | 4.14M | +281,000 | +7.28% |
| 2008 | 3.86M | −48,000 | −1.23% |
| 2007 | 3.91M | −163,000 | −4% |
| 2006 | 4.07M | −98,000 | −2.35% |
| 2005 | 4.17M | +66,000 | +1.61% |
| 2004 | 4.1M | +62,000 | +1.53% |
| 2003 | 4.04M | −92,000 | −2.23% |
| 2002 | 4.13M | −32,000 | −0.77% |
| 2001 | 4.16M | −253,000 | −5.73% |
| 2000 | 4.42M | −653,000 | −12.88% |
| 1999 | 5.07M | −167,000 | −3.19% |
| 1998 | 5.24M | −175,000 | −3.23% |
| 1997 | 5.41M | −126,000 | −2.28% |
| 1996 | 5.54M | −142,000 | −2.5% |
| 1995 | 5.68M | −229,000 | −3.88% |
| 1994 | 5.91M | +6,000 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.9M | −194,000 | −3.18% |
| 1992 | 6.1M | −337,000 | −5.24% |
| 1991 | 6.43M | −152,000 | −2.31% |
| 1990 | 6.59M | +266,000 | +4.21% |
| 1989 | 6.32M | −222,000 | −3.39% |
| 1988 | 6.54M | −135,000 | −2.02% |
| 1987 | 6.68M | +16,000 | +0.24% |
| 1986 | 6.66M | +95,000 | +1.45% |
| 1985 | 6.57M | −15,000 | −0.23% |
| 1984 | 6.58M | +41,000 | +0.63% |
| 1983 | 6.54M | +67,000 | +1.04% |
| 1982 | 6.47M | +116,000 | +1.82% |
| 1981 | 6.36M | +105,000 | +1.68% |
| 1980 | 6.25M | +54,000 | +0.87% |
| 1979 | 6.2M | −35,000 | −0.56% |
| 1978 | 6.23M | −23,000 | −0.37% |
| 1977 | 6.26M | +31,000 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 6.23M | +11,000 | +0.18% |
| 1975 | 6.21M | −251,000 | −3.88% |
| 1974 | 6.47M | −18,000 | −0.28% |
| 1973 | 6.48M | −119,000 | −1.8% |
| 1972 | 6.6M | −309,000 | −4.47% |
| 1971 | 6.91M | −283,000 | −3.93% |
| 1970 | 7.19M | −382,000 | −5.04% |
| 1969 | 7.58M | −98,000 | −1.28% |
| 1968 | 7.67M | +163,000 | +2.17% |
| 1967 | 7.51M | +290,000 | +4.02% |
| 1966 | 7.22M | +378,000 | +5.52% |
| 1965 | 6.84M | −376,000 | −5.21% |
| 1964 | 7.22M | +158,000 | +2.24% |
| 1963 | 7.06M | +96,000 | +1.38% |
| 1962 | 6.97M | +513,000 | +7.95% |
| 1961 | 6.45M | +60,000 | +0.94% |
| 1960 | 6.39M | −71,000 | −1.1% |
| 1959 | 6.46M | −218,000 | −3.26% |
| 1958 | 6.68M | −434,000 | −6.1% |
| 1957 | 7.12M | −241,000 | −3.28% |
| 1956 | 7.36M | −184,000 | −2.44% |
| 1955 | 7.54M | −345,000 | −4.38% |
| 1954 | 7.89M | −385,000 | −4.66% |
| 1953 | 8.27M | −160,000 | −1.9% |
| 1952 | 8.43M | +586,000 | +7.47% |
| 1951 | 7.84M | +2.06M | +35.69% |
| 1950 | 5.78M | −97,000 | −1.65% |
| 1949 | 5.88M | +263,000 | +4.68% |
| 1948 | 5.62M | −373,000 | −6.23% |
| 1947 | 5.99M | −1.95M | −24.57% |
| 1946 | 7.94M | −18.37M | −69.83% |
| 1945 | 26.31M | — | — |
| 1940 | 13.73M | +7.49M | +120.06% |
| 1939 | 6.24M | +1.99M | +46.89% |
| 1938 | 4.25M | +319,000 | +8.12% |
| 1937 | 3.93M | +288,000 | +7.91% |
| 1936 | 3.64M | −483,000 | −11.71% |
| 1935 | 4.12M | +1.31M | +46.29% |
| 1934 | 2.82M | +221,000 | +8.51% |
| 1933 | 2.6M | +56,000 | +2.2% |
| 1932 | 2.54M | −18,000 | −0.7% |
| 1931 | 2.56M | −6,000 | −0.23% |
| 1930 | 2.57M | +20,000 | +0.79% |
| 1929 | 2.55M | −66,000 | −2.53% |
| 1928 | 2.61M | +40,000 | +1.56% |
| 1927 | 2.57M | −74,000 | −2.8% |
| 1926 | 2.65M | +20,000 | +0.76% |
| 1925 | 2.63M | −104,000 | −3.81% |
| 1924 | 2.73M | −66,000 | −2.36% |
| 1923 | 2.8M | −177,000 | −5.95% |
| 1922 | 2.97M | −149,000 | −4.77% |
| 1921 | 3.12M | −2.36M | −43.07% |
| 1920 | 5.48M | −2.95M | −34.95% |
| 1919 | 8.43M | −17.47M | −67.45% |
| 1918 | 25.9M | — | — |
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.
The number of active-duty military personnel and paramilitary forces.
Defense Armed forces as a share of the populationWhat share of a country’s population military personnel make up — a measure of how militarized a society is.
Defense Military expenditure in dollarsThe absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.
Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)The share of GDP a country spends on defense.
Defense Military expenditure share of the budgetWhat part of government spending goes to defense.
Defense Arms exportsTransfers of major conventional weapons abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV).