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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Sweden

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Sweden in 2022 — 15,000 people. Ranked 107 in the world out of 189. Since 1819, the indicator has fallen by 72.2%.

2022 15,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 107of 189
Period maximum 400,000 people1942
Period minimum 13,000 people2010

Trend over time

1819–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Sweden, 1819–20220100,000200,000300,000400,000181918401861188219031924194519661987200820221819: 54,000 people1830: 42,000 people1840: 52,000 people1848: 47,000 people1851: 34,000 people1855: 77,000 people1858: 76,000 people1861: 77,000 people1864: 117,000 people1867: 120,000 people1870: 83,000 people1873: 82,000 people1877: 94,000 people1880: 92,000 people1883: 69,000 people1886: 65,000 people1889: 64,000 people1892: 63,000 people1895: 63,000 people1898: 63,000 people1901: 75,000 people1904: 95,000 people1907: 67,000 people1910: 71,000 people1913: 86,000 people1917: 100,000 people1921: 25,000 people1924: 40,000 people1927: 28,000 people1930: 39,000 people1933: 34,000 people1937: 27,000 people1942: 400,000 people1945: 400,000 people1959: 29,000 people1962: 80,000 people1965: 70,000 people1968: 75,000 people1971: 75,000 people1974: 75,000 people1977: 69,000 people1980: 70,000 people1983: 68,000 people1986: 66,000 people1989: 62,000 people1992: 70,000 people1995: 70,000 people1998: 55,000 people2001: 34,000 people2004: 28,000 people2007: 28,000 people2010: 13,000 people2013: 21,000 people2016: 30,000 people2019: 30,000 people2022: 15,000 people
Change over the period: −39,000 (−72.22%) Average annual rate: -0.63 %

Comparison, 2022

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

Sweden 15,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Europe & Central Asia computed 4.15M people
Northern Europe computed 269,000 people
High-income countries computed 5.91M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Sweden, by year Sweden All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 15,000 +0 +0%
2021 15,000 +0 +0%
2020 15,000 −15,000 −50%
2019 30,000 +0 +0%
2018 30,000 +0 +0%
2017 30,000 +0 +0%
2016 30,000 +15,000 +100%
2015 15,000 +0 +0%
2014 15,000 −6,000 −28.57%
2013 21,000 +1,000 +5%
2012 20,000 −1,000 −4.76%
2011 21,000 +8,000 +61.54%
2010 13,000 −4,000 −23.53%
2009 17,000 −7,000 −29.17%
2008 24,000 −4,000 −14.29%
2007 28,000 +0 +0%
2006 28,000 +0 +0%
2005 28,000 +0 +0%
2004 28,000 +0 +0%
2003 28,000 −6,000 −17.65%
2002 34,000 +0 +0%
2001 34,000 −19,000 −35.85%
2000 53,000 +1,000 +1.92%
1999 52,000 −3,000 −5.45%
1998 55,000 −5,000 −8.33%
1997 60,000 +0 +0%
1996 60,000 −10,000 −14.29%
1995 70,000 +0 +0%
1994 70,000 +0 +0%
1993 70,000 +0 +0%
1992 70,000 +7,000 +11.11%
1991 63,000 −2,000 −3.08%
1990 65,000 +3,000 +4.84%
1989 62,000 −3,000 −4.62%
1988 65,000 −1,000 −1.52%
1987 66,000 +0 +0%
1986 66,000 −3,000 −4.35%
1985 69,000 +0 +0%
1984 69,000 +1,000 +1.47%
1983 68,000 −2,000 −2.86%
1982 70,000 +0 +0%
1981 70,000 +0 +0%
1980 70,000 +2,000 +2.94%
1979 68,000 −1,000 −1.45%
1978 69,000 +0 +0%
1977 69,000 +3,000 +4.55%
1976 66,000 −9,000 −12%
1975 75,000 +0 +0%
1974 75,000 +0 +0%
1973 75,000 +0 +0%
1972 75,000 +0 +0%
1971 75,000 +0 +0%
1970 75,000 +0 +0%
1969 75,000 +0 +0%
1968 75,000 +5,000 +7.14%
1967 70,000 +0 +0%
1966 70,000 +0 +0%
1965 70,000 +0 +0%
1964 70,000 +0 +0%
1963 70,000 −10,000 −12.5%
1962 80,000 +0 +0%
1961 80,000 +51,000 +175.86%
1960 29,000 +0 +0%
1959 29,000 +1,000 +3.57%
1958 28,000 +0 +0%
1957 28,000 — —
1945 400,000 +0 +0%
1944 400,000 +0 +0%
1943 400,000 +0 +0%
1942 400,000 — —
1940 100,000 — —
1938 41,000 +14,000 +51.85%
1937 27,000 −3,000 −10%
1936 30,000 −9,000 −23.08%
1935 39,000 — —
1933 34,000 +2,000 +6.25%
1932 32,000 +0 +0%
1931 32,000 −7,000 −17.95%
1930 39,000 +1,000 +2.63%
1929 38,000 +0 +0%
1928 38,000 +10,000 +35.71%
1927 28,000 +0 +0%
1926 28,000 −2,000 −6.67%
1925 30,000 −10,000 −25%
1924 40,000 +15,000 +60%
1923 25,000 −5,000 −16.67%
1922 30,000 +5,000 +20%
1921 25,000 −76,000 −75.25%
1920 101,000 — —
1918 101,000 +1,000 +1%
1917 100,000 +1,000 +1.01%
1916 99,000 +19,000 +23.75%
1915 80,000 — —
1913 86,000 +12,000 +16.22%
1912 74,000 +0 +0%
1911 74,000 +3,000 +4.23%
1910 71,000 +6,000 +9.23%
1909 65,000 −2,000 −2.99%
1908 67,000 +0 +0%
1907 67,000 +0 +0%
1906 67,000 +3,000 +4.69%
1905 64,000 −31,000 −32.63%
1904 95,000 −8,000 −7.77%
1903 103,000 +30,000 +41.1%
1902 73,000 −2,000 −2.67%
1901 75,000 +0 +0%
1900 75,000 +12,000 +19.05%
1899 63,000 +0 +0%
1898 63,000 +0 +0%
1897 63,000 +1,000 +1.61%
1896 62,000 −1,000 −1.59%
1895 63,000 +0 +0%
1894 63,000 +0 +0%
1893 63,000 +0 +0%
1892 63,000 −3,000 −4.55%
1891 66,000 +0 +0%
1890 66,000 +2,000 +3.13%
1889 64,000 +0 +0%
1888 64,000 −1,000 −1.54%
1887 65,000 +0 +0%
1886 65,000 +0 +0%
1885 65,000 +3,000 +4.84%
1884 62,000 −7,000 −10.14%
1883 69,000 +2,000 +2.99%
1882 67,000 +1,000 +1.52%
1881 66,000 −26,000 −28.26%
1880 92,000 +28,000 +43.75%
1879 64,000 −22,000 −25.58%
1878 86,000 −8,000 −8.51%
1877 94,000 +40,000 +74.07%
1876 54,000 −25,000 −31.65%
1875 79,000 — —
1873 82,000 −4,000 −4.65%
1872 86,000 +3,000 +3.61%
1871 83,000 +0 +0%
1870 83,000 +0 +0%
1869 83,000 +0 +0%
1868 83,000 −37,000 −30.83%
1867 120,000 +0 +0%
1866 120,000 +3,000 +2.56%
1865 117,000 +0 +0%
1864 117,000 +26,000 +28.57%
1863 91,000 +0 +0%
1862 91,000 +14,000 +18.18%
1861 77,000 +0 +0%
1860 77,000 +0 +0%
1859 77,000 +1,000 +1.32%
1858 76,000 −1,000 −1.3%
1857 77,000 +0 +0%
1856 77,000 +0 +0%
1855 77,000 — —
1853 77,000 +28,000 +57.14%
1852 49,000 +15,000 +44.12%
1851 34,000 +0 +0%
1850 34,000 −15,000 −30.61%
1849 49,000 +2,000 +4.26%
1848 47,000 — —
1846 52,000 — —
1844 52,000 — —
1840 52,000 — —
1833 52,000 — —
1831 45,000 +3,000 +7.14%
1830 42,000 — —
1828 45,000 — —
1823 45,000 — —
1819 54,000 — —

Northern Europe, 2022

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

GB United Kingdom 150,000 NO Norway 25,000 LT Lithuania 23,000 FI Finland 19,000 DK Denmark 15,000 SE Sweden 15,000 IE Ireland 8,000 EE Estonia 7,000 LV Latvia 7,000 IS Iceland 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 Sweden

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Sweden 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.

Sweden by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Sweden by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Sweden by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Sweden by year Defense Arms exports

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

Sweden by year
All indicators for Sweden