Armed forces personnel, total in Japan
Japan: Armed forces personnel, total was 261,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Japan, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Japan is 261,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Japan peaked at 272,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 233,000, in 1994.
Japan ranks 27th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 245,000 | 243,000 | 247,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 247,280 | 233,000 | 254,600 | 10 |
| 2000s | 252,438 | 242,000 | 272,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 260,371 | 259,800 | 261,150 | 10 |
| 2020s | 261,000 | 261,000 | 261,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More public sector data for Japan
- Arms imports 977.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure 1.4% (2024)
- Military expenditure 55.27 billion current USD (2024)
- Armed forces personnel 0.4% (2020)
- Expense 117.32 trillion current LCU (2022)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score 100 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Intentional homicides 0.2292 per 100,000 people (2023)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score 84.76 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Military expenditure 8.37 trillion current LCU (2024)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 15.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Japan?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Japan was 261,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 272,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 233,000 in 1994.
- How does Japan rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Japan ranks 27th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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
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.