Belarus: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Belarus' armed forces personnel, total rose 1.9% on 2019 (from 155,000 to 158,000).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2019), the average change was +4.1% and a typical year strayed about 26.9% 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 111.7% in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 43.5% in 1994. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 278.18 a year. A straight line explains 33% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2020, Belarus had the 38th 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 Belarus in the 2020 ranking

• Germany — 35th of 170: 183,000
• Israel — 36th of 170: 178,000
• Afghanistan — 37th of 170: 165,000
• Peru — 39th of 170: 158,000
• Philippines — 40th of 170: 157,000
• United Kingdom — 41st of 170: 153,000

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 29 values

Armed forces personnel, total in nearby economies

• Albania — 8,000 (2020)
• Armenia — 47,000 (2020)
• Austria — 23,000 (2020)
• Azerbaijan — 82,000 (2020)
• Belgium — 24,000 (2020)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 11,000 (2020)
• Bulgaria — 37,000 (2020)
• Croatia — 20,000 (2020)
• Cyprus — 13,000 (2020)
• Czechia — 27,000 (2020)
• Denmark — 15,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Belarus

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 6.35 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.4% (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 3.4 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 1.33% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 4.76 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.87% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — 3.24 billion (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — 1.27% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 18.14 billion (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Belarus's armed forces personnel, total?

158,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is up 54.9% from 102,000 in 1992 (1.58% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 192,900 in 2001 and the lowest 65,000 in 1994.

How does Belarus rank?

38th highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Belarus' armed forces personnel, total rose 1.9% on 2019 (from 155,000 to 158,000). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2019), the average change was +4.1% and a typical year strayed about 26.9% 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.

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