Australia vs Belgium
Australia vs Belgium: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 60,000 people in Australia and 24,000 people in Belgium, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Australia, by 36,000 people, or 2.5 times that in Belgium.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Australia has been higher since 1994, when it overtook Belgium.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Australia | Belgium | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 60,000 | 24,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 59,000 | 26,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 58,100 | 31,500 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 58,000 | 32,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 57,800 | 33,800 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 57,800 | 36,350 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 56,750 | 37,600 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 56,750 | 37,500 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 56,200 | 30,700 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 57,050 | 34,050 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 56,550 | 35,740 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 56,550 | 39,480 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 55,000 | 39,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 55,000 | 39,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 51,000 | 40,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 53,000 | 37,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 52,000 | 36,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 53,600 | 40,800 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 50,900 | 39,200 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 51,700 | 39,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 51,600 | 39,300 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 56,200 | 41,750 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 58,400 | 43,700 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 58,400 | 44,450 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 58,800 | 46,300 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 57,100 | 47,200 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 65,000 | 53,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 68,000 | 70,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 68,000 | 79,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 68,000 | 101,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 68,000 | 106,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 70,000 | 110,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 70,400 | 91,600 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 71,000 | 107,000 | – |
| 1983 | 73,000 | 109,000 | – |
| 1982 | 73,000 | 109,000 | – |
| 1981 | 72,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1980 | 71,000 | 108,000 | – |
| 1979 | 70,000 | 107,000 | – |
| 1978 | 70,000 | 109,000 | – |
| 1977 | 70,000 | 107,000 | – |
| 1976 | 71,000 | 103,000 | – |
| 1975 | 70,000 | 103,000 | – |
| 1974 | 68,000 | 105,000 | – |
| 1973 | 71,000 | 107,000 | – |
| 1972 | 86,000 | 105,000 | – |
| 1971 | 86,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1970 | 86,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1969 | 82,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1968 | 80,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1967 | 72,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1966 | 59,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1965 | 53,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1964 | 53,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1963 | 49,000 | 115,000 | – |
| 1962 | 49,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1961 | 46,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1960 | 47,000 | 110,000 | – |
| 1959 | 48,000 | 108,000 | – |
| 1958 | 46,000 | 106,000 | – |
| 1957 | 48,000 | 101,000 | – |
| 1956 | 52,000 | 98,000 | – |
| 1955 | 52,000 | 94,000 | – |
| 1954 | 54,000 | 91,000 | – |
| 1953 | 57,000 | 86,000 | – |
| 1952 | 32,000 | 81,000 | – |
| 1951 | 33,000 | 77,000 | – |
| 1950 | 38,000 | 74,000 | – |
| 1949 | 41,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1948 | 61,000 | 71,000 | – |
| 1947 | 82,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1946 | 103,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1945 | 596,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1944 | 680,000 | – | – |
| 1943 | 680,000 | – | – |
| 1941 | 400,000 | – | – |
| 1940 | 82,000 | 82,000 | – |
| 1939 | 8,000 | 85,000 | – |
| 1938 | 8,000 | 90,000 | – |
| 1937 | 8,000 | 72,000 | – |
| 1936 | 8,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1935 | 8,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1934 | 8,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1933 | 6,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1932 | 6,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1931 | 6,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1930 | 7,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1929 | 7,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1928 | 8,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1927 | 8,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1926 | 8,000 | 83,000 | – |
| 1925 | 7,000 | 82,000 | – |
| 1924 | 7,000 | 82,000 | – |
| 1923 | 7,000 | 133,000 | – |
| 1922 | 6,000 | 117,000 | – |
| 1921 | 6,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1920 | 6,000 | 156,000 | – |
| 1919 | – | 212,000 | – |
| 1918 | – | 209,000 | – |
| 1917 | – | 194,000 | – |
| 1916 | – | 189,000 | – |
| 1915 | – | 156,000 | – |
| 1914 | – | 115,000 | – |
| 1913 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1912 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1911 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1910 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1909 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1908 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1907 | – | 44,000 | – |
| 1906 | – | 44,000 | – |
| 1905 | – | 44,000 | – |
| 1904 | – | 44,000 | – |
| 1903 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1902 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 51,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 51,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 43,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1867 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1866 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1865 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1864 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1863 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1862 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1859 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1858 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1857 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1856 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1855 | – | 40,000 | – |
| 1854 | – | 39,000 | – |
| 1853 | – | 38,000 | – |
| 1852 | – | 37,000 | – |
| 1851 | – | 36,000 | – |
| 1850 | – | 35,000 | – |
| 1849 | – | 34,000 | – |
| 1848 | – | 33,000 | – |
| 1847 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1846 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1845 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1844 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1843 | – | 32,000 | – |
| 1842 | – | 36,000 | – |
| 1841 | – | 41,000 | – |
| 1840 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1839 | – | 50,000 | – |
| 1838 | – | 48,000 | – |
| 1837 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1836 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1835 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1834 | – | 30,000 | – |
| 1833 | – | 38,000 | – |
| 1832 | – | 46,000 | – |
| 1831 | – | 54,000 | – |
| 1830 | – | 62,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Australia vs Belgium
Health
- Life expectancyAustralia: 83.9 years in 2023Belgium: 82.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAustralia: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Belgium: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAustralia: 3.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Belgium: 3.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionAustralia: 4.62% in 2017Belgium: 4.11% in 2017
- Suicide rateAustralia: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Belgium: 14.3 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAustralia: 26.5 million people in 2023Belgium: 11.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthAustralia: 0.99% a year in 2023Belgium: 0.25% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAustralia: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Belgium: 1.38 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAustralia: 87.7% in 2025Belgium: 87.7% in 2025
- Median ageAustralia: 37.8 years in 2023Belgium: 41.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAustralia: 17.4% in 2023Belgium: 20.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateAustralia: 5.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAustralia: 1.92% of GDP in 2025Belgium: 2.01% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsAustralia: $35.3B in 2025Belgium: $13.6B in 2025
- Military spending per personAustralia: $1,316 in 2025Belgium: $1,237 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingAustralia: 4.9% of government spending in 2025Belgium: 3.7% of government spending in 2025
- National powerAustralia: 0.6% of world capability in 2022Belgium: 0.22% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAustralia: 0.44% of the labour force in 2020Belgium: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAustralia: 826 million TIV in 2025Belgium: 430 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsAustralia: 108 million TIV in 2025Belgium: 86 million TIV in 2025