Armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Armed forces personnel, total was 227,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
227,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
29th
of 173 countries
All-time high
252,000
in 2005
All-time low
91,300
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh, 1985–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1985200220201985: 91.3k1989: 103.0k1990: 103.0k1991: 107.0k1992: 107.0k1993: 107.0k1994: 113.0k1995: 170.5k1996: 167.2k1997: 170.7k1998: 170.7k1999: 192.2k2000: 137.0k2001: 200.2k2002: 200.2k2003: 188.7k2004: 251.0k2005: 252.0k2006: 214.0k2007: 221.0k2008: 221.0k2009: 221.0k2010: 221.0k2011: 220.9k2012: 220.9k2013: 220.9k2014: 220.9k2015: 220.9k2016: 220.9k2017: 221.0k2018: 227.1k2019: 227.0k2020: 227.0k

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh stood at 227,000.

The figure is up 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh peaked at 252,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 91,300, in 1985.

That places Bangladesh 29th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 97,150 91,300 103,000 2
1990s 140,830 103,000 192,200 10
2000s 210,605 137,000 252,000 10
2010s 222,170 220,950 227,050 10
2020s 227,000 227,000 227,000 1

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 26 Syria 269,000 compare
  2. 27 Japan 261,000 compare
  3. 28 Morocco 246,000 compare
  4. 30 Nigeria 223,000 compare
  5. 31 Eritrea 202,000 compare
  6. 32 Spain 199,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh?
Armed forces personnel, total in Bangladesh was 227,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 252,000 in 2005.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 91,300 in 1985.
How does Bangladesh rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Bangladesh ranks 29th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.