Belgium vs Saudi Arabia
Belgium vs Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 24,000 people in Belgium and 282,000 people in Saudi Arabia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 258,000 people, or 12 times that in Belgium.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 1990, when it overtook Belgium.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Belgium | Saudi Arabia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 24,000 | 282,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 26,000 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 31,500 | 252,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 32,000 | 252,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 33,800 | 251,500 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 36,350 | 251,500 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 37,600 | 251,500 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 37,500 | 251,500 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 30,700 | 249,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 34,050 | 249,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 35,740 | 249,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 39,480 | 249,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 39,000 | 238,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 39,000 | 238,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 40,000 | 240,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 37,000 | 216,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 36,000 | 214,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 40,800 | 215,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 39,200 | 215,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 39,400 | 217,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 39,300 | 217,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 41,750 | 178,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 43,700 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 44,450 | 178,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 46,300 | 178,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 47,200 | 177,500 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 53,000 | 164,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 70,000 | 172,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 79,000 | 172,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 101,000 | 191,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 106,000 | 146,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 110,000 | 82,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 91,600 | 62,500 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 107,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1983 | 109,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1982 | 109,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1981 | 110,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1980 | 108,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1979 | 107,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1978 | 109,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1977 | 107,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1976 | 103,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1975 | 103,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1974 | 105,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1973 | 107,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1972 | 105,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1971 | 110,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1970 | 110,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1969 | 115,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1968 | 115,000 | 60,000 | – |
| 1967 | 115,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1966 | 115,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1965 | 115,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1964 | 115,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1963 | 115,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1962 | 110,000 | 37,000 | – |
| 1961 | 110,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1960 | 110,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1959 | 108,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1958 | 106,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1957 | 101,000 | 31,000 | – |
| 1956 | 98,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1955 | 94,000 | 33,000 | – |
| 1954 | 91,000 | 34,000 | – |
| 1953 | 86,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1952 | 81,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1951 | 77,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1950 | 74,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1949 | 70,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1948 | 71,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1947 | 75,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1946 | 79,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1945 | 80,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1944 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1943 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1942 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1941 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1940 | 82,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1939 | 85,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1938 | 90,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1937 | 72,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1936 | 67,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1935 | 68,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1934 | 68,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1933 | 66,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1932 | 67,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1931 | 66,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1930 | 69,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1929 | 67,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1928 | 65,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1927 | 66,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1926 | 83,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 82,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 82,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 133,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 117,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 100,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 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
Belgium vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyBelgium: 82.1 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBelgium: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBelgium: 3.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBelgium: 4.11% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateBelgium: 14.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBelgium: 11.7 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthBelgium: 0.25% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBelgium: 1.38 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBelgium: 87.7% in 2025Saudi Arabia: 84.6% in 2025
- Median ageBelgium: 41.4 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBelgium: 20.2% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateBelgium: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBelgium: 2.01% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBelgium: $13.6B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personBelgium: $1,237 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBelgium: 3.7% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerBelgium: 0.22% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBelgium: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBelgium: 430 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsBelgium: 86 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023