Armed forces personnel, total in Turkey

Turkey: Armed forces personnel, total was 512,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
512,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
13th
of 173 countries
All-time high
841,200
in 1999
All-time low
512,000
in 2015
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Turkey, 1985–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1985200220201985: 630.0k1989: 780.0k1990: 769.0k1991: 804.0k1992: 704.0k1993: 686.0k1994: 811.0k1995: 690.0k1996: 707.2k1997: 821.2k1998: 821.2k1999: 841.2k2000: 827.7k2001: 665.1k2002: 664.8k2003: 664.8k2004: 616.0k2005: 617.0k2006: 612.0k2007: 612.0k2008: 613.0k2009: 612.8k2010: 612.8k2011: 612.8k2012: 612.8k2013: 612.8k2014: 612.8k2015: 512.0k2016: 512.0k2017: 512.0k2018: 512.2k2019: 512.0k2020: 512.0k

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Turkey is 512,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

That represents a change of down 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Turkey peaked at 841,200 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 512,000, in 2015.

That places Turkey 13th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 705,000 630,000 780,000 2
1990s 765,480 686,000 841,200 10
2000s 650,520 612,000 827,700 10
2010s 562,420 512,000 612,800 10
2020s 512,000 512,000 512,000 1

Countries ranked near Turkey

  1. 10 Iran 650,000 compare
  2. 11 South Korea 569,000 compare
  3. 12 Vietnam 522,000 compare
  4. 14 Myanmar 463,000 compare
  5. 15 Iraq 459,000 compare
  6. 16 Thailand 455,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Turkey?
Armed forces personnel, total in Turkey was 512,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Turkey?
The highest recorded value was 841,200 in 1999.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Turkey?
The lowest recorded value was 512,000 in 2015.
How does Turkey rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Turkey ranks 13th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Turkey?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Turkey 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.