Small states: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Small states' armed forces personnel, total fell 3.6% on 2019 (from 83,000 to 80,000).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +0.8% and a typical year strayed about 4.2% 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 9.9% in 1998 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.4% in 2000. 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 991.82 a year. A straight line explains 67% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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 21 values

Armed forces personnel, total in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 165,000 (2020)
• Algeria — 326,000 (2020)
• Bahrain — 19,000 (2020)
• Djibouti — 13,000 (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 836,000 (2020)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 650,000 (2020)
• Iraq — 459,000 (2020)
• Israel — 178,000 (2020)
• Jordan — 116,000 (2020)
• Kuwait — 25,000 (2020)
• Lebanon — 80,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Small states

• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 12.79% (2022)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 21.09% (2019)
• Interest payments (% of revenue) — 1.78% (2022)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 33.44% (2022)
• Taxes on income, profits and capital gains (% of revenue) — 24.12% (2022)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.32% (2025)
• Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) — 1.18% (2019)
• Compensation of employees (% of expense) — 21.87% (2022)
• Goods and services expense (% of expense) — 10.08% (2022)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Small states's armed forces personnel, total?

80,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1992?

It is up 60% from 50,000 in 1992 (1.69% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 84,180 in 2016 and the lowest 50,000 in 1992.

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

In 2020, Small states' armed forces personnel, total fell 3.6% on 2019 (from 83,000 to 80,000). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +0.8% and a typical year strayed about 4.2% 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?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

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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