Argentina: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Argentina's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 103,000 to 103,000).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 9.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 42.8% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 17.6% in 1991. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Argentina had the 53rd highest value of the 170 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Argentina in the 2020 ranking

• Jordan — 50th of 170: 116,000
• Chile — 51st of 170: 114,000
• Nepal — 52nd of 170: 112,000
• South Africa — 54th of 170: 89,000
• Azerbaijan — 55th of 170: 82,000
• Lebanon — 56th of 170: 80,000

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Data excludes personnel not on active duty, therefore it underestimates the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. The cooperation of governments of all countries listed in “The Military Balance” has been sought by IISS and, in many cases, received. However, some data in “The Military Balance” is estimated.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 33 values

Armed forces personnel, total in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 0 (2020)
• Bahamas, The — 2,000 (2020)
• Barbados — 1,000 (2020)
• Belize — 2,000 (2020)
• Bolivia — 71,000 (2020)
• Brazil — 762,000 (2020)
• Chile — 114,000 (2020)
• Colombia — 428,000 (2020)
• Costa Rica — 10,000 (2020)
• Cuba — 76,000 (2020)
• Dominican Republic — 71,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Argentina

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 4.82 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.56% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 108 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 3.88 billion (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 8.18 trillion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 8.29% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 29.54 trillion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 29.96% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 98.45 trillion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Argentina's armed forces personnel, total?

103,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 4.63% from 108,000 in 1985 (0.14% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 108,000 in 1985 and the lowest 65,000 in 1992.

How does Argentina rank?

53rd highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in armed forces personnel, total unusual for Argentina?

In 2020, Argentina's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 103,000 to 103,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 9.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.