Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico

Mexico: Armed forces personnel, total was 341,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
341,000
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
19th
of 173 countries
All-time high
348,000
in 2018
All-time low
129,100
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico, 1985–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1985200220201985: 129.1k1989: 154.0k1990: 175.0k1991: 175.0k1992: 175.0k1993: 175.0k1994: 175.0k1995: 189.0k1996: 190.0k1997: 190.0k1998: 190.0k1999: 193.8k2000: 207.8k2001: 203.8k2002: 203.8k2003: 203.8k2004: 203.0k2005: 204.0k2006: 280.0k2007: 286.0k2008: 305.0k2009: 331.8k2010: 331.8k2011: 329.8k2012: 329.8k2013: 325.4k2014: 336.1k2015: 336.1k2016: 336.1k2017: 336.0k2018: 348.0k2019: 328.0k2020: 341.0k

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

Analysis

Mexico recorded 341,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Mexico peaked at 348,000 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 129,100, in 1985.

That places Mexico 19th 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 141,550 129,100 154,000 2
1990s 182,777 175,000 193,770 10
2000s 242,895 203,000 331,750 10
2010s 333,685 325,450 348,000 10
2020s 341,000 341,000 341,000 1

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 16 Thailand 455,000 compare
  2. 17 Colombia 428,000 compare
  3. 18 Venezuela 343,000 compare
  4. 20 Italy 338,000 compare
  5. 21 Algeria 326,000 compare
  6. 22 Sri Lanka 317,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Mexico?
Armed forces personnel, total in Mexico was 341,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 348,000 in 2018.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 129,100 in 1985.
How does Mexico rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Mexico ranks 19th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Mexico 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.