Guyana: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Guyana's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 3,000 to 3,000).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +4.9% and a typical year strayed about 44% 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 209.1% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 57.7% in 2011. 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 246.67 a year. A straight line explains 51% 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, Guyana had the 152nd 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 Guyana in the 2020 ranking

• Gambia, The — 149th of 170: 4,000
• Guinea-Bissau — 150th of 170: 4,000
• Papua New Guinea — 151st of 170: 4,000
• Mauritius — 153rd of 170: 3,000
• Bahamas, The — 154th of 170: 2,000
• Belize — 155th of 170: 2,000

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)
• Chile — 114,000 (2020)
• Colombia — 428,000 (2020)
• Costa Rica — 10,000 (2020)
• Cuba — 76,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Guyana

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 247.64 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 51.82 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0.99% (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 19.12 (2023)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.04% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 3.98% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 5 million (2025)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2.5 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 4.5 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Guyana's armed forces personnel, total?

3,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 54.55% from 6,600 in 1985 (2.23% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 6,600 in 1985 and the lowest 1,100 in 2011.

How does Guyana rank?

152nd highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Guyana's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 3,000 to 3,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +4.9% and a typical year strayed about 44% 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.

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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