Spain: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Spain's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 199,000 to 199,000).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −0.8% and a typical year strayed about 8.7% 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 32.2% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.5% in 1992. 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 2,233 a year. A straight line explains 68% 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, Spain had the 32nd 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 Spain in the 2020 ranking

• Bangladesh — 29th of 170: 227,000
• Nigeria — 30th of 170: 223,000
• Eritrea — 31st of 170: 202,000
• Cambodia — 33rd of 170: 191,000
• Poland — 34th of 170: 189,000
• Germany — 35th of 170: 183,000

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

• 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 Spain

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 237 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 40.21 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 35.65 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.13% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 341 million (2025)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 65.74 billion (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 4.12% (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 11.47 billion (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 0.72% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Spain's armed forces personnel, total?

199,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 37.81% from 320,000 in 1985 (1.35% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 320,000 in 1985 and the lowest 196,000 in 2017.

How does Spain rank?

32nd highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Spain's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 199,000 to 199,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −0.8% and a typical year strayed about 8.7% 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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