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Armed forces personnel since 1816 — all countries

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Switzerland

Armed forces personnel since 1816 in Switzerland in 2022 — 20,000 people. Ranked 98 in the world out of 189.

2022 20,000 people +0% vs 2021
World rank 98of 189
Period maximum 650,000 people1940
Period minimum 0 people1816

Trend over time

1816–2022 · people

Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Switzerland, 1816–20220200,000400,000600,000800,000181618371858187919001921194219631984200520221816: 0 people1820: 0 people1824: 0 people1828: 0 people1832: 0 people1836: 0 people1840: 0 people1844: 0 people1848: 0 people1852: 0 people1856: 0 people1860: 0 people1864: 0 people1868: 0 people1872: 0 people1876: 0 people1880: 0 people1884: 0 people1888: 0 people1892: 0 people1896: 0 people1900: 0 people1904: 0 people1908: 0 people1912: 0 people1916: 250,000 people1920: 0 people1924: 0 people1928: 0 people1932: 0 people1936: 0 people1940: 650,000 people1944: 525,000 people1948: 0 people1952: 0 people1956: 0 people1960: 0 people1964: 20,000 people1968: 25,000 people1972: 25,000 people1976: 25,000 people1980: 23,000 people1984: 25,000 people1988: 23,000 people1992: 31,000 people1996: 39,000 people2000: 28,000 people2004: 16,000 people2008: 23,000 people2012: 25,000 people2016: 21,000 people2020: 21,000 people2022: 20,000 people
Change over the period: +20,000

Comparison, 2022

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

Switzerland 20,000 people
World computed 20.79M people
Europe & Central Asia computed 4.15M people
Western Europe computed 486,000 people
High-income countries computed 5.91M people
Armed forces personnel since 1816 — Switzerland, by year Switzerland All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2022 20,000 +0 +0%
2021 20,000 −1,000 −4.76%
2020 21,000 +0 +0%
2019 21,000 +0 +0%
2018 21,000 +0 +0%
2017 21,000 +0 +0%
2016 21,000 +0 +0%
2015 21,000 −2,000 −8.7%
2014 23,000 +0 +0%
2013 23,000 −2,000 −8%
2012 25,000 −1,000 −3.85%
2011 26,000 +4,000 +18.18%
2010 22,000 −1,000 −4.35%
2009 23,000 +0 +0%
2008 23,000 +19,000 +475%
2007 4,000 +0 +0%
2006 4,000 +0 +0%
2005 4,000 −12,000 −75%
2004 16,000 −12,000 −42.86%
2003 28,000 +0 +0%
2002 28,000 +1,000 +3.7%
2001 27,000 −1,000 −3.57%
2000 28,000 −11,000 −28.21%
1999 39,000 +0 +0%
1998 39,000 +0 +0%
1997 39,000 +0 +0%
1996 39,000 +0 +0%
1995 39,000 +0 +0%
1994 39,000 +4,000 +11.43%
1993 35,000 +4,000 +12.9%
1992 31,000 +9,000 +40.91%
1991 22,000 +0 +0%
1990 22,000 +5,000 +29.41%
1989 17,000 −6,000 −26.09%
1988 23,000 +3,000 +15%
1987 20,000 −1,000 −4.76%
1986 21,000 −2,000 −8.7%
1985 23,000 −2,000 −8%
1984 25,000 −3,000 −10.71%
1983 28,000 +5,000 +21.74%
1982 23,000 +0 +0%
1981 23,000 +0 +0%
1980 23,000 +0 +0%
1979 23,000 +4,000 +21.05%
1978 19,000 +0 +0%
1977 19,000 −6,000 −24%
1976 25,000 +0 +0%
1975 25,000 +0 +0%
1974 25,000 +0 +0%
1973 25,000 +0 +0%
1972 25,000 +0 +0%
1971 25,000 +0 +0%
1970 25,000 +0 +0%
1969 25,000 +0 +0%
1968 25,000 +0 +0%
1967 25,000 +0 +0%
1966 25,000 +5,000 +25%
1965 20,000 +0 +0%
1964 20,000 +0 +0%
1963 20,000 −9,000 −31.03%
1962 29,000 +0 +0%
1961 29,000 +29,000 —
1960 0 +0 —
1959 0 +0 —
1958 0 +0 —
1957 0 +0 —
1956 0 +0 —
1955 0 +0 —
1954 0 +0 —
1953 0 +0 —
1952 0 +0 —
1951 0 +0 —
1950 0 +0 —
1949 0 +0 —
1948 0 +0 —
1947 0 +0 —
1946 0 −525,000 −100%
1945 525,000 +0 +0%
1944 525,000 +0 +0%
1943 525,000 +0 +0%
1942 525,000 +0 +0%
1941 525,000 −125,000 −19.23%
1940 650,000 +650,000 —
1939 0 +0 —
1938 0 +0 —
1937 0 +0 —
1936 0 +0 —
1935 0 +0 —
1934 0 +0 —
1933 0 +0 —
1932 0 +0 —
1931 0 +0 —
1930 0 +0 —
1929 0 +0 —
1928 0 +0 —
1927 0 +0 —
1926 0 +0 —
1925 0 +0 —
1924 0 +0 —
1923 0 +0 —
1922 0 +0 —
1921 0 +0 —
1920 0 +0 —
1919 0 −250,000 −100%
1918 250,000 +0 +0%
1917 250,000 +0 +0%
1916 250,000 +0 +0%
1915 250,000 +250,000 —
1914 0 +0 —
1913 0 +0 —
1912 0 +0 —
1911 0 +0 —
1910 0 +0 —
1909 0 +0 —
1908 0 +0 —
1907 0 +0 —
1906 0 +0 —
1905 0 +0 —
1904 0 +0 —
1903 0 +0 —
1902 0 +0 —
1901 0 +0 —
1900 0 +0 —
1899 0 +0 —
1898 0 +0 —
1897 0 +0 —
1896 0 +0 —
1895 0 +0 —
1894 0 +0 —
1893 0 +0 —
1892 0 +0 —
1891 0 +0 —
1890 0 +0 —
1889 0 +0 —
1888 0 +0 —
1887 0 +0 —
1886 0 +0 —
1885 0 +0 —
1884 0 +0 —
1883 0 +0 —
1882 0 +0 —
1881 0 +0 —
1880 0 +0 —
1879 0 +0 —
1878 0 +0 —
1877 0 +0 —
1876 0 +0 —
1875 0 +0 —
1874 0 +0 —
1873 0 +0 —
1872 0 +0 —
1871 0 +0 —
1870 0 +0 —
1869 0 +0 —
1868 0 +0 —
1867 0 +0 —
1866 0 +0 —
1865 0 +0 —
1864 0 +0 —
1863 0 +0 —
1862 0 +0 —
1861 0 +0 —
1860 0 +0 —
1859 0 +0 —
1858 0 −30,000 −100%
1857 30,000 +30,000 —
1856 0 +0 —
1855 0 +0 —
1854 0 +0 —
1853 0 +0 —
1852 0 +0 —
1851 0 +0 —
1850 0 +0 —
1849 0 +0 —
1848 0 +0 —
1847 0 +0 —
1846 0 +0 —
1845 0 +0 —
1844 0 +0 —
1843 0 +0 —
1842 0 +0 —
1841 0 +0 —
1840 0 +0 —
1839 0 +0 —
1838 0 +0 —
1837 0 +0 —
1836 0 +0 —
1835 0 +0 —
1834 0 +0 —
1833 0 +0 —
1832 0 +0 —
1831 0 +0 —
1830 0 +0 —
1829 0 +0 —
1828 0 +0 —
1827 0 +0 —
1826 0 +0 —
1825 0 +0 —
1824 0 +0 —
1823 0 +0 —
1822 0 +0 —
1821 0 +0 —
1820 0 +0 —
1819 0 +0 —
1818 0 +0 —
1817 0 +0 —
1816 0 — —

Western Europe, 2022

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

FR France 203,000 DE Germany 183,000 NL Netherlands 34,000 AT Austria 23,000 BE Belgium 23,000 CH Switzerland 20,000 LI Liechtenstein 0 LU Luxembourg 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 Switzerland

Defense Armed forces personnel

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

Switzerland 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.

Switzerland by year Defense Military expenditure in dollars

The absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.

Switzerland by year Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)

The share of GDP a country spends on defense.

Switzerland by year Defense Military expenditure share of the budget

What part of government spending goes to defense.

Switzerland by year Defense Arms exports

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

Switzerland by year
All indicators for Switzerland