Armed forces personnel, total in European Union

European Union: Armed forces personnel, total was 1.91 million in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
1.91 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
All-time high
3.56 million
in 1995
All-time low
1.91 million
in 2019
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in European Union, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1985200220201985: 3.1M1989: 3.4M1990: 3.2M1991: 3.1M1992: 3.0M1993: 3.0M1994: 3.0M1995: 3.6M1996: 3.5M1997: 3.3M1998: 3.2M1999: 3.1M2000: 2.9M2001: 2.7M2002: 2.6M2003: 2.5M2004: 2.4M2005: 2.4M2006: 2.3M2007: 2.3M2008: 2.3M2009: 2.1M2010: 2.1M2011: 2.0M2012: 2.0M2013: 2.0M2014: 2.0M2015: 2.0M2016: 2.0M2017: 1.9M2018: 1.9M2019: 1.9M2020: 1.9M

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

Analysis

European Union recorded 1.91 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in European Union peaked at 3.56 million in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.91 million, in 2019.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.24 million 3.09 million 3.39 million 2
1990s 3.20 million 3.01 million 3.56 million 10
2000s 2.44 million 2.07 million 2.86 million 10
2010s 1.98 million 1.91 million 2.10 million 10
2020s 1.91 million 1.91 million 1.91 million 1

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Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in European Union?
Armed forces personnel, total in European Union was 1.91 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 3.56 million in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 1.91 million in 2019.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union 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.

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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.