Russian Federation: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Russian Federation's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 1.45 million to 1.45 million).

Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2019), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 9.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 28.6% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 21.1% in 1993. 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 17,424 a year. A straight line explains 44% 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, Russian Federation had the 4th 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 Russian Federation in the 2020 ranking

• India — 1st of 170: 3.07 million
• China — 2nd of 170: 2.54 million
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 3rd of 170: 1.47 million
• United States — 5th of 170: 1.4 million
• Pakistan — 6th of 170: 943,000
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 7th of 170: 836,000

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)
• Belarus — 158,000 (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)

More public sector data for Russian Federation

• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 15.96 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 7.5% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 1.94 billion (2025)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 2.78 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 9.87 (2023)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 190.42 billion (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 6.77 (2021)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 7,670 (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU)

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 Russian Federation's armed forces personnel, total?

1.45 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is down 23.47% from 1.9 million in 1992 (0.95% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.9 million in 1992 and the lowest 1.26 million in 2013.

How does Russian Federation rank?

4th highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Russian Federation's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 1.45 million to 1.45 million). Across the 27 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2019), the average change was −0.6% and a typical year strayed about 9.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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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