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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Serbia

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Serbia in 2022 — 28,000 people. Ranked 83 in the world out of 189. Since 1878, the indicator has risen by 300%.

2022 28,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 83of 189
Period maximum 370,000 people1955
Period minimum 7,000 people1878

Trend over time

1878–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Serbia, 1878–20220100,000200,000300,000400,000187818931908192319381953196819831998201320221878: 7,000 people1881: 7,000 people1884: 18,000 people1887: 13,000 people1890: 10,000 people1893: 13,000 people1896: 22,000 people1899: 23,000 people1902: 24,000 people1905: 27,000 people1908: 29,000 people1911: 30,000 people1914: 41,000 people1917: 156,000 people1920: 205,000 people1923: 154,000 people1926: 118,000 people1929: 112,000 people1932: 104,000 people1935: 123,000 people1938: 144,000 people1941: 150,000 people1946: 159,000 people1949: 245,000 people1952: 367,000 people1955: 370,000 people1958: 370,000 people1961: 250,000 people1964: 336,000 people1967: 297,000 people1970: 257,000 people1973: 258,000 people1976: 275,000 people1979: 264,000 people1982: 259,000 people1985: 258,000 people1988: 229,000 people1991: 169,000 people1994: 130,000 people1997: 115,000 people2000: 98,000 people2003: 74,000 people2006: 65,000 people2009: 24,000 people2012: 29,000 people2015: 28,000 people2018: 28,000 people2021: 28,000 people2022: 28,000 people
Change over the period: +21,000 (+300%) Average annual rate: 0.97 %

Comparison, 2022

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

Serbia 28,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Europe & Central Asia computed 4.15M people
Southern Europe computed 526,000 people
Upper-middle-income countries computed 5.23M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Serbia, by year Serbia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 28,000 +0 +0%
2021 28,000 +0 +0%
2020 28,000 +0 +0%
2019 28,000 +0 +0%
2018 28,000 +0 +0%
2017 28,000 +0 +0%
2016 28,000 +0 +0%
2015 28,000 +0 +0%
2014 28,000 +0 +0%
2013 28,000 −1,000 −3.45%
2012 29,000 +0 +0%
2011 29,000 +0 +0%
2010 29,000 +5,000 +20.83%
2009 24,000 +0 +0%
2008 24,000 −16,000 −40%
2007 40,000 −25,000 −38.46%
2006 65,000 +0 +0%
2005 65,000 −5,000 −7.14%
2004 70,000 −4,000 −5.41%
2003 74,000 −1,000 −1.33%
2002 75,000 −31,000 −29.25%
2001 106,000 +8,000 +8.16%
2000 98,000 −7,000 −6.67%
1999 105,000 +0 +0%
1998 105,000 −10,000 −8.7%
1997 115,000 +10,000 +9.52%
1996 105,000 −25,000 −19.23%
1995 130,000 +0 +0%
1994 130,000 +30,000 +30%
1993 100,000 −37,000 −27.01%
1992 137,000 −32,000 −18.93%
1991 169,000 −11,000 −6.11%
1990 180,000 −45,000 −20%
1989 225,000 −4,000 −1.75%
1988 229,000 −5,000 −2.14%
1987 234,000 +0 +0%
1986 234,000 −24,000 −9.3%
1985 258,000 −1,000 −0.39%
1984 259,000 +0 +0%
1983 259,000 +0 +0%
1982 259,000 −1,000 −0.38%
1981 260,000 +0 +0%
1980 260,000 −4,000 −1.52%
1979 264,000 −2,000 −0.75%
1978 266,000 +0 +0%
1977 266,000 −9,000 −3.27%
1976 275,000 +5,000 +1.85%
1975 270,000 +8,000 +3.05%
1974 262,000 +4,000 +1.55%
1973 258,000 +0 +0%
1972 258,000 +0 +0%
1971 258,000 +1,000 +0.39%
1970 257,000 +0 +0%
1969 257,000 +0 +0%
1968 257,000 −40,000 −13.47%
1967 297,000 −13,000 −4.19%
1966 310,000 +0 +0%
1965 310,000 −26,000 −7.74%
1964 336,000 −14,000 −4%
1963 350,000 +100,000 +40%
1962 250,000 +0 +0%
1961 250,000 −120,000 −32.43%
1960 370,000 +0 +0%
1959 370,000 +0 +0%
1958 370,000 +0 +0%
1957 370,000 +0 +0%
1956 370,000 +0 +0%
1955 370,000 +3,000 +0.82%
1954 367,000 +0 +0%
1953 367,000 +0 +0%
1952 367,000 +0 +0%
1951 367,000 +122,000 +49.8%
1950 245,000 +0 +0%
1949 245,000 +0 +0%
1948 245,000 +86,000 +54.09%
1947 159,000 +0 +0%
1946 159,000 +3,000 +1.92%
1945 156,000 +3,000 +1.96%
1944 153,000 — —
1941 150,000 +1,000 +0.67%
1940 149,000 +3,000 +2.05%
1939 146,000 +2,000 +1.39%
1938 144,000 +2,000 +1.41%
1937 142,000 +18,000 +14.52%
1936 124,000 +1,000 +0.81%
1935 123,000 +8,000 +6.96%
1934 115,000 +1,000 +0.88%
1933 114,000 +10,000 +9.62%
1932 104,000 −10,000 −8.77%
1931 114,000 +2,000 +1.79%
1930 112,000 +0 +0%
1929 112,000 +1,000 +0.9%
1928 111,000 +1,000 +0.91%
1927 110,000 −8,000 −6.78%
1926 118,000 −34,000 −22.37%
1925 152,000 +0 +0%
1924 152,000 −2,000 −1.3%
1923 154,000 −101,000 −39.61%
1922 255,000 +100,000 +64.52%
1921 155,000 −50,000 −24.39%
1920 205,000 −50,000 −19.61%
1919 255,000 +54,000 +26.87%
1918 201,000 +45,000 +28.85%
1917 156,000 +54,000 +52.94%
1916 102,000 +18,000 +21.43%
1915 84,000 +43,000 +104.88%
1914 41,000 +9,000 +28.13%
1913 32,000 +1,000 +3.23%
1912 31,000 +1,000 +3.33%
1911 30,000 −5,000 −14.29%
1910 35,000 −1,000 −2.78%
1909 36,000 +7,000 +24.14%
1908 29,000 −5,000 −14.71%
1907 34,000 +6,000 +21.43%
1906 28,000 +1,000 +3.7%
1905 27,000 +0 +0%
1904 27,000 +1,000 +3.85%
1903 26,000 +2,000 +8.33%
1902 24,000 +2,000 +9.09%
1901 22,000 +0 +0%
1900 22,000 −1,000 −4.35%
1899 23,000 +0 +0%
1898 23,000 +1,000 +4.55%
1897 22,000 +0 +0%
1896 22,000 +3,000 +15.79%
1895 19,000 +2,000 +11.76%
1894 17,000 +4,000 +30.77%
1893 13,000 +1,000 +8.33%
1892 12,000 +2,000 +20%
1891 10,000 +0 +0%
1890 10,000 −3,000 −23.08%
1889 13,000 +0 +0%
1888 13,000 +0 +0%
1887 13,000 +0 +0%
1886 13,000 +0 +0%
1885 13,000 −5,000 −27.78%
1884 18,000 +8,000 +80%
1883 10,000 +3,000 +42.86%
1882 7,000 +0 +0%
1881 7,000 +0 +0%
1880 7,000 +0 +0%
1879 7,000 +0 +0%
1878 7,000 — —

Southern Europe, 2022

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

IT Italy 161,000 GR Greece 132,000 ES Spain 124,000 RS Serbia 28,000 PT Portugal 27,000 HR Croatia 17,000 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 11,000 AL Albania 8,000 MK North Macedonia 8,000 SI Slovenia 6,000 MT Malta 2,000 ME Montenegro 2,000 AD Andorra 0 MC Monaco 0 SM San Marino 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 Serbia

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Serbia 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.

Serbia by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Serbia by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Serbia by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Serbia by year Defense Arms exports

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

Serbia by year
All indicators for Serbia