Brunei vs Malaysia

Brunei vs Malaysia: Armed forces personnel

Armed forces personnel in 2020: 8,000 people in Brunei and 136,000 people in Malaysia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Malaysia, by 128,000 people, or 17 times that in Brunei.

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Brunei vs Malaysia: Armed forces personnelArmed forces personnel in 2020: 8,000 people in Brunei and 136,000 people in Malaysia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Malaysia, by 128,000 people, or 17 times that in Brunei.
BruneiMalaysiaEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • Malaysia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
  • The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.

Every year

people · IISS

YearBruneiMalaysiaWorld
20208,000136,00027.4 million
20198,000136,00027.7 million
20188,200136,00027.7 million
20178,000136,00027.4 million
201612,100133,60027.5 million
20159,250133,60027.4 million
20149,250133,60027.3 million
20139,250133,60027.2 million
20129,250133,60028.2 million
20119,250133,60028 million
20109,250133,60028.1 million
20099,250133,60027.9 million
20089,000134,00027.5 million
20079,000134,00027.3 million
20069,000134,00027 million
200511,000135,00028.5 million
200410,000130,00027.1 million
200310,700124,10028.2 million
200210,700120,10028.3 million
20019,700120,60028.2 million
20008,800116,10029.4 million
19998,750125,10029.6 million
19989,050130,10029.9 million
19979,050131,60029.9 million
19969,100140,30030.2 million
19959,000140,30030.2 million
19945,000115,00023.2 million
19934,000115,00023.7 million
19924,000128,00024.5 million
19914,000128,00022.7 million
19904,000130,00023.9 million
19894,000115,00024.3 million
19854,100110,00022.2 million
19844,000125,000–
1983–99,000–
1982–95,000–
1981–90,000–
1980–83,000–
1979–82,000–
1978–82,000–
1977–79,000–
1976–80,000–
1975–76,000–
1974–75,000–
1973–70,000–
1972–69,000–
1971–62,000–
1970–58,000–
1969–46,000–
1968–46,000–
1967–40,000–
1966–35,000–
1965–37,000–
1964–32,000–
1963–14,000–
1962–46,000–
1961–44,000–
1960–20,000–
1959–20,000–
1958–20,000–
1957–18,000–
  • 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

Brunei vs Malaysia

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