Armed forces personnel, total in Ireland

Ireland: Armed forces personnel, total was 9,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
9,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
136th
of 173 countries
All-time high
17,000
in 1994
All-time low
8,650
in 2018
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Ireland, 1985–2020

05.0k10.0k15.0k1985200220201985: 13.7k1989: 13.0k1990: 13.0k1991: 13.0k1992: 13.0k1993: 13.0k1994: 17.0k1995: 12.9k1996: 12.7k1997: 12.7k1998: 11.5k1999: 11.5k2000: 11.5k2001: 10.5k2002: 10.5k2003: 10.4k2004: 10.0k2005: 10.0k2006: 10.0k2007: 10.0k2008: 10.0k2009: 10.5k2010: 10.5k2011: 8.9k2012: 9.3k2013: 9.3k2014: 9.1k2015: 9.1k2016: 9.1k2017: 9.0k2018: 8.7k2019: 9.0k2020: 9.0k

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Ireland is 9,000, measured in 2020.

The figure is down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Ireland peaked at 17,000 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 8,650, in 2018.

That places Ireland 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 13,350 13,000 13,700 2
1990s 13,030 11,500 17,000 10
2000s 10,336 10,000 11,500 10
2010s 9,201 8,650 10,460 10
2020s 9,000 9,000 9,000 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 136 Botswana 9,000 compare
  2. 136 Latvia 9,000 compare
  3. 136 Sierra Leone 9,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Ireland?
Armed forces personnel, total in Ireland was 9,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 17,000 in 1994.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 8,650 in 2018.
How does Ireland rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Ireland ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ireland 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.