* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Armed forces personnel, 2020:

The average for 2020 based on 12 countries was 173083 people. The highest value was in Brazil: 762000 people and the lowest value was in Suriname: 2000 people. The indicator is available from 1985 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: people; Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Armed forces, 2020 Global rank Available data
Brazil 762000 1 -
Colombia 428000 2 -
Venezuela 343000 3 -
Peru 158000 4 -
Chile 114000 5 -
Argentina 103000 6 -
Bolivia 71000 7 -
Ecuador 42000 8 -
Paraguay 29000 9 -
Uruguay 22000 10 -
Guyana 3000 11 -
Suriname 2000 12 -



Definition: 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.

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