Armed forces personnel, total in Least developed countries: UN classification

Least developed countries: UN classification: Armed forces personnel, total was 2.56 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
2.56 million
Change on year
down 9.9%
All-time high
3.17 million
in 2012
All-time low
1.16 million
in 1985
Years of data
32
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Least developed countries: UN classification, 1985–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M1985200220201985: 1.2M1989: 1.5M1990: 1.7M1991: 1.6M1992: 1.5M1993: 1.6M1994: 1.5M1995: 2.7M1996: 2.7M1997: 2.9M1998: 2.9M1999: 3.1M2000: 3.1M2001: 2.4M2002: 2.6M2003: 2.7M2004: 2.5M2005: 2.5M2007: 2.5M2008: 2.6M2009: 2.8M2010: 2.9M2011: 3.2M2012: 3.2M2013: 3.1M2014: 3.0M2015: 3.0M2016: 2.9M2017: 2.8M2018: 2.8M2019: 2.8M2020: 2.6M

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

Analysis

Least developed countries: UN classification recorded 2.56 million for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

That represents a change of down 9.9% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Least developed countries: UN classification peaked at 3.17 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.16 million, in 1985.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.32 million 1.16 million 1.49 million 2
1990s 2.20 million 1.48 million 3.07 million 10
2000s 2.62 million 2.45 million 3.08 million 9
2010s 2.98 million 2.81 million 3.17 million 10
2020s 2.56 million 2.56 million 2.56 million 1

More public sector data for Least developed countries: UN classification

All data for Least developed countries: UN classification →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Least developed countries: UN classification?
Armed forces personnel, total in Least developed countries: UN classification was 2.56 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Least developed countries: UN classification?
The highest recorded value was 3.17 million in 2012.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Least developed countries: UN classification?
The lowest recorded value was 1.16 million in 1985.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Least developed countries: UN classification?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Least developed countries: UN classification 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 — 32 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.