Armed forces personnel since 1816 in the OECD in 2022 — 4,760,000 people. Since 1919, the indicator has fallen by 44.8%.
1919–2022 · people
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: OECD
| Year | people | Change | Change, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4.76M | −57,000 | −1.18% |
| 2021 | 4.82M | −65,000 | −1.33% |
| 2020 | 4.88M | −75,000 | −1.51% |
| 2019 | 4.96M | +11,000 | +0.22% |
| 2018 | 4.95M | +12,000 | +0.24% |
| 2017 | 4.93M | −212,000 | −4.12% |
| 2016 | 5.15M | −74,000 | −1.42% |
| 2015 | 5.22M | −80,000 | −1.51% |
| 2014 | 5.3M | −50,000 | −0.93% |
| 2013 | 5.35M | −158,000 | −2.87% |
| 2012 | 5.51M | −6,000 | −0.11% |
| 2011 | 5.51M | −239,000 | −4.15% |
| 2010 | 5.75M | −33,000 | −0.57% |
| 2009 | 5.79M | +282,000 | +5.12% |
| 2008 | 5.5M | +28,000 | +0.51% |
| 2007 | 5.48M | −102,000 | −1.83% |
| 2006 | 5.58M | +102,000 | +1.86% |
| 2005 | 5.48M | −24,000 | −0.44% |
| 2004 | 5.5M | −28,000 | −0.51% |
| 2003 | 5.53M | +2,000 | +0.04% |
| 2002 | 5.53M | −15,000 | −0.27% |
| 2001 | 5.54M | −122,000 | −2.15% |
| 2000 | 5.66M | −826,000 | −12.73% |
| 1999 | 6.49M | −190,000 | −2.84% |
| 1998 | 6.68M | −123,000 | −1.81% |
| 1997 | 6.8M | −43,000 | −0.63% |
| 1996 | 6.85M | −199,000 | −2.83% |
| 1995 | 7.04M | −215,000 | −2.96% |
| 1994 | 7.26M | −3,000 | −0.04% |
| 1993 | 7.26M | −158,000 | −2.13% |
| 1992 | 7.42M | −397,000 | −5.08% |
| 1991 | 7.82M | −101,000 | −1.28% |
| 1990 | 7.92M | +402,000 | +5.35% |
| 1989 | 7.52M | −175,000 | −2.28% |
| 1988 | 7.69M | −82,000 | −1.05% |
| 1987 | 7.77M | +44,000 | +0.57% |
| 1986 | 7.73M | +95,000 | +1.24% |
| 1985 | 7.63M | −21,000 | −0.27% |
| 1984 | 7.66M | +15,000 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 7.64M | +70,000 | +0.92% |
| 1982 | 7.57M | +128,000 | +1.72% |
| 1981 | 7.44M | +129,000 | +1.76% |
| 1980 | 7.31M | +42,000 | +0.58% |
| 1979 | 7.27M | +9,000 | +0.12% |
| 1978 | 7.26M | +2,000 | +0.03% |
| 1977 | 7.26M | +29,000 | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 7.23M | −1,000 | −0.01% |
| 1975 | 7.23M | −245,000 | −3.28% |
| 1974 | 7.48M | +32,000 | +0.43% |
| 1973 | 7.45M | −97,000 | −1.29% |
| 1972 | 7.54M | −308,000 | −3.92% |
| 1971 | 7.85M | −277,000 | −3.41% |
| 1970 | 8.13M | −369,000 | −4.34% |
| 1969 | 8.5M | −89,000 | −1.04% |
| 1968 | 8.59M | +194,000 | +2.31% |
| 1967 | 8.39M | +394,000 | +4.93% |
| 1966 | 8M | +391,000 | +5.14% |
| 1965 | 7.61M | −383,000 | −4.79% |
| 1964 | 7.99M | +122,000 | +1.55% |
| 1963 | 7.87M | +204,000 | +2.66% |
| 1962 | 7.66M | +532,000 | +7.46% |
| 1961 | 7.13M | −83,000 | −1.15% |
| 1960 | 7.21M | −45,000 | −0.62% |
| 1959 | 7.26M | −182,000 | −2.45% |
| 1958 | 7.44M | −399,000 | −5.09% |
| 1957 | 7.84M | −197,000 | −2.45% |
| 1956 | 8.04M | −172,000 | −2.1% |
| 1955 | 8.21M | −227,000 | −2.69% |
| 1954 | 8.44M | −229,000 | −2.64% |
| 1953 | 8.67M | +59,000 | +0.69% |
| 1952 | 8.61M | +844,000 | +10.87% |
| 1951 | 7.76M | +2.11M | +37.33% |
| 1950 | 5.65M | −135,000 | −2.33% |
| 1949 | 5.79M | +283,000 | +5.14% |
| 1948 | 5.5M | −360,000 | −6.14% |
| 1947 | 5.86M | −2.02M | −25.63% |
| 1946 | 7.89M | −25.44M | −76.34% |
| 1945 | 33.33M | — | — |
| 1940 | 14.45M | +7.36M | +103.64% |
| 1939 | 7.1M | +2.51M | +54.85% |
| 1938 | 4.58M | +315,000 | +7.38% |
| 1937 | 4.27M | +252,000 | +6.27% |
| 1936 | 4.02M | −478,000 | −10.64% |
| 1935 | 4.49M | +1.33M | +41.95% |
| 1934 | 3.17M | +259,000 | +8.91% |
| 1933 | 2.91M | +54,000 | +1.89% |
| 1932 | 2.85M | +88,000 | +3.18% |
| 1931 | 2.77M | −1,000 | −0.04% |
| 1930 | 2.77M | +6,000 | +0.22% |
| 1929 | 2.76M | −65,000 | −2.3% |
| 1928 | 2.83M | +13,000 | +0.46% |
| 1927 | 2.81M | −104,000 | −3.57% |
| 1926 | 2.92M | +6,000 | +0.21% |
| 1925 | 2.91M | −90,000 | −3% |
| 1924 | 3M | −29,000 | −0.96% |
| 1923 | 3.03M | −173,000 | −5.4% |
| 1922 | 3.2M | −126,000 | −3.79% |
| 1921 | 3.33M | −2.38M | −41.68% |
| 1920 | 5.71M | −2.92M | −33.82% |
| 1919 | 8.62M | — | — |
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).