Canada vs United Kingdom

Canada vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel

Armed forces personnel in 2020: 72,000 people in Canada and 153,000 people in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 81,000 people, or 2.13 times that in Canada.

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Canada vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnelArmed forces personnel in 2020: 72,000 people in Canada and 153,000 people in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 81,000 people, or 2.13 times that in Canada.
CanadaUnited KingdomEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • United Kingdom has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
  • In 2020, Canada ranked 58 and United Kingdom ranked 41 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.

Every year

people · IISS

YearCanadaUnited KingdomWorld
202072,000153,00027.4 million
201972,000149,00027.7 million
201872,400148,50027.7 million
201772,000148,00027.4 million
201667,500150,30027.5 million
201567,500152,40027.4 million
201470,200154,70027.3 million
201365,700159,20027.2 million
201266,000169,20028.2 million
201165,700165,70028 million
201065,700174,00028.1 million
200965,720178,50027.9 million
200864,000160,00027.5 million
200764,000160,00027.3 million
200664,000181,00027 million
200571,000217,00028.5 million
200471,000205,00027.1 million
200361,600212,60028.2 million
200261,600210,40028.3 million
200166,100211,40028.2 million
200068,500212,50029.4 million
199969,950218,00029.6 million
199869,950218,00029.9 million
199772,700218,00029.9 million
199679,800221,00030.2 million
199575,700233,00030.2 million
199475,000257,00023.2 million
199376,000271,00023.7 million
199282,000293,00024.5 million
199186,000301,00022.7 million
199087,000308,00023.9 million
198988,000318,00024.3 million
198583,000334,00022.2 million
198482,000336,000–
198381,000333,000–
198281,000335,000–
198181,000341,000–
198082,000330,000–
197979,000324,000–
197879,000320,000–
197778,000326,000–
197678,000337,000–
197578,000348,000–
197482,000359,000–
197382,000377,000–
197290,000370,000–
197185,000370,000–
197095,000390,000–
1969100,000390,000–
1968105,000410,000–
1967105,000425,000–
1966110,000425,000–
1965120,000425,000–
1964120,000435,000–
1963120,000450,000–
1962124,000475,000–
1961124,000475,000–
1960121,000519,000–
1959120,000565,000–
1958119,000614,000–
1957121,000702,000–
1956116,000761,000–
1955112,000809,000–
1954108,000839,000–
1953104,000865,000–
1952102,000872,000–
195162,000826,000–
195045,000689,000–
194947,000770,000–
194840,000847,000–
194743,0001.3 million–
194646,0002.05 million–
1945801,0005.09 million–
1944728,0004.9 million–
1943740,0004.15 million–
1942400,0003.39 million–
1941280,0002.3 million–
194021,0001.02 million–
19396,000394,000–
19386,000376,000–
19376,000350,000–
19366,000336,000–
19354,000321,000–
19345,000318,000–
19335,000316,000–
19325,000317,000–
19316,000319,000–
19305,000318,000–
19294,000325,000–
19285,000330,000–
19274,000338,000–
19264,000341,000–
19254,000342,000–
19244,000337,000–
19234,000337,000–
19224,000368,000–
19214,000448,000–
19204,000596,000–
1919–1.33 million–
1918–4.22 million–
1917–4.43 million–
1915–4.35 million–
1914–532,000–
1913–533,000–
1912–523,000–
1911–376,000–
1910–372,000–
1909–381,000–
1908–364,000–
1907–369,000–
1906–384,000–
1905–394,000–
1904–409,000–
1903–416,000–
1902–489,000–
1901–521,000–
1900–487,000–
1899–331,000–
1898–331,000–
1897–319,000–
1896–315,000–
1895–309,000–
1894–302,000–
1893–294,000–
1892–288,000–
1891–281,000–
1890–278,000–
1889–275,000–
1888–273,000–
1887–273,000–
1886–265,000–
1885–256,000–
1884–240,000–
1883–239,000–
1882–247,000–
1881–247,000–
1880–248,000–
1879–260,000–
1878–261,000–
1877–251,000–
1876–244,000–
1875–245,000–
1874–248,000–
1873–252,000–
1872–254,000–
1871–241,000–
1870–257,000–
1869–270,000–
1868–279,000–
1867–283,000–
1866–286,000–
1865–296,000–
1864–290,000–
1863–312,000–
1862–305,000–
1861–316,000–
1860–347,000–
1859–315,000–
1858–292,000–
1857–272,000–
1856–382,000–
1855–329,000–
1854–234,000–
1853–213,000–
1852–201,000–
1851–198,000–
1850–201,000–
1849–203,000–
1848–208,000–
1847–193,000–
1846–191,000–
1845–178,000–
1844–185,000–
1843–158,000–
1842–184,000–
1841–173,000–
1840–168,000–
1839–159,000–
1838–155,000–
1837–143,000–
1836–143,000–
1835–136,000–
1834–137,000–
1833–144,000–
1832–145,000–
1831–150,000–
1830–140,000–
1829–148,000–
1828–155,000–
1827–155,000–
1826–149,000–
1825–132,000–
1824–132,000–
1823–125,000–
1822–125,000–
1821–139,000–
1820–144,000–
1819–143,000–
1818–173,000–
1817–190,000–
1816–255,000–
  • 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

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