Armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand

New Zealand: Armed forces personnel, total was 10,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
10,000
Change on year
up 11.1%
World rank
131st
of 173 countries
All-time high
12,400
in 1985
All-time low
8,000
in 2004
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand, 1985–2020

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k1985200220201985: 12.4k1989: 12.0k1990: 11.0k1991: 11.0k1992: 11.0k1993: 11.0k1994: 10.0k1995: 10.1k1996: 9.9k1997: 9.6k1998: 9.6k1999: 9.5k2000: 9.2k2001: 9.2k2002: 8.7k2003: 8.6k2004: 8.0k2005: 9.0k2006: 9.0k2007: 9.0k2008: 9.0k2009: 9.7k2010: 9.7k2011: 8.6k2012: 8.6k2013: 8.5k2014: 8.5k2015: 8.9k2016: 9.0k2017: 9.0k2018: 9.4k2019: 9.0k2020: 10.0k

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand is 10,000, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 11.1% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand peaked at 12,400 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 8,000, in 2004.

New Zealand ranks 131st of 173 countries on this measure, 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 12,200 12,000 12,400 2
1990s 10,260 9,530 11,000 10
2000s 8,937 8,000 9,673 10
2010s 8,912 8,500 9,673 10
2020s 10,000 10,000 10,000 1

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 128 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11,000 compare
  2. 128 Burkina Faso 11,000 compare
  3. 128 Mozambique 11,000 compare
  4. 131 Central African Republic 10,000 compare
  5. 131 Costa Rica 10,000 compare
  6. 131 Niger 10,000 compare
  7. 131 Togo 10,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand?
Armed forces personnel, total in New Zealand was 10,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 12,400 in 1985.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 8,000 in 2004.
How does New Zealand rank for armed forces personnel, total?
New Zealand ranks 131st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand 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.