Chile: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Chile's armed forces personnel, total fell 6.6% on 2019 (from 122,000 to 114,000).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 6.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 27.5% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.2% in 2006. 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 upward, about 2,025 a year. A straight line explains 64% 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, Chile had the 51st 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 Chile in the 2020 ranking

• Romania — 48th of 170: 128,000
• Angola — 49th of 170: 117,000
• Jordan — 50th of 170: 116,000
• Nepal — 52nd of 170: 112,000
• Argentina — 53rd of 170: 103,000
• South Africa — 54th of 170: 89,000

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)
• Argentina — 103,000 (2020)
• Bahamas, The — 2,000 (2020)
• Barbados — 1,000 (2020)
• Belize — 2,000 (2020)
• Bolivia — 71,000 (2020)
• Brazil — 762,000 (2020)
• Colombia — 428,000 (2020)
• Costa Rica — 10,000 (2020)
• Cuba — 76,000 (2020)
• Dominican Republic — 71,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Chile

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 14 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 5.33 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 5.07 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.52% (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 4.4 trillion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.42% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -8.66 trillion (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -2.79% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 7.48 trillion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Chile's armed forces personnel, total?

114,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 12.87% from 101,000 in 1985 (0.35% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 130,000 in 1995 and the lowest 90,000 in 1991.

How does Chile rank?

51st highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Chile's armed forces personnel, total fell 6.6% on 2019 (from 122,000 to 114,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +1% and a typical year strayed about 6.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

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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