Cuba vs Venezuela
Cuba vs Venezuela: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 76,000 people in Cuba and 343,000 people in Venezuela, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Venezuela, by 267,000 people, or 4.51 times that in Cuba.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Venezuela has been higher since 2001, when it overtook Cuba.
- In 2020, Cuba ranked 57 and Venezuela ranked 18 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Cuba | Venezuela | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 76,000 | 343,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 76,000 | 343,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 76,000 | 343,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 76,000 | 343,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 75,500 | 273,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 75,500 | 265,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 75,500 | 265,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 75,500 | 115,000 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 75,500 | 115,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 75,500 | 115,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 75,500 | 115,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 75,500 | 115,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 76,000 | 115,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 76,000 | 115,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 76,000 | – | 27 million |
| 2005 | 76,000 | 82,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 75,000 | 82,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 72,500 | 105,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 72,500 | 105,300 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 72,500 | 105,300 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 84,500 | 79,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 91,500 | 79,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 79,000 | 79,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 79,000 | 79,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 119,000 | 79,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 124,000 | 80,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 140,000 | 75,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 175,000 | 75,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 175,000 | 75,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 297,000 | 73,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 297,000 | 75,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 297,000 | 75,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 161,500 | 49,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 297,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1983 | 250,000 | 56,000 | – |
| 1982 | 230,000 | 56,000 | – |
| 1981 | 225,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1980 | 220,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1979 | 210,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1978 | 210,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1977 | 200,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1976 | 125,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1975 | 120,000 | 55,000 | – |
| 1974 | 140,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1973 | 140,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1972 | 140,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1971 | 140,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1970 | 140,000 | 45,000 | – |
| 1969 | 140,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1968 | 110,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1967 | 110,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1966 | 110,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1965 | 110,000 | 50,000 | – |
| 1964 | 110,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1963 | 80,000 | 35,000 | – |
| 1962 | 270,000 | 23,000 | – |
| 1961 | 270,000 | 21,000 | – |
| 1960 | 46,000 | 23,000 | – |
| 1959 | 19,000 | 23,000 | – |
| 1958 | 19,000 | 18,000 | – |
| 1957 | 19,000 | 17,000 | – |
| 1956 | 13,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1955 | 13,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1954 | 21,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1953 | 21,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1952 | 20,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1951 | 20,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1950 | 20,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1949 | 19,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1948 | 18,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1947 | 18,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1946 | 18,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1945 | 21,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1944 | 20,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1943 | 20,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1942 | 20,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1941 | 19,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1940 | 19,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1939 | 19,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1938 | 19,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1937 | 19,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1936 | 16,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1935 | 16,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1934 | 13,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1933 | 13,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1932 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1931 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1930 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1929 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1928 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1927 | 13,000 | 6,000 | – |
| 1926 | 13,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1925 | 13,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1924 | 12,000 | 7,000 | – |
| 1923 | 12,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1922 | 12,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1921 | 18,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1920 | 18,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1919 | 18,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1918 | 19,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1917 | 19,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1916 | 18,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1915 | 15,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1914 | 13,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1913 | 11,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1912 | 5,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1911 | 5,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1910 | 5,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1909 | 5,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1908 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1907 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1906 | 4,000 | 10,000 | – |
| 1905 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1904 | 4,000 | 8,000 | – |
| 1903 | 3,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1902 | 3,000 | 9,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 9,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 4,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 7,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 7,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 6,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 2,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 2,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 2,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 3,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 2,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 2,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 12,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 14,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 12,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 5,000 | – |
| 1867 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1866 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1865 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1864 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1863 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1862 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1859 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1858 | – | 10,000 | – |
| 1857 | – | 10,000 | – |
- 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
Cuba vs Venezuela
Health
- Life expectancyCuba: 78.1 years in 2023Venezuela: 72.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCuba: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024Venezuela: 2.4 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCuba: 4.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Venezuela: 15.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionCuba: 3.32% in 2017Venezuela: 2.82% in 2017
- Suicide rateCuba: 11.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Venezuela: 8.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCuba: 11 million people in 2023Venezuela: 28.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthCuba: -0.35% a year in 2023Venezuela: 0.35% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCuba: 1.44 births per woman in 2023Venezuela: 2.08 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCuba: 77.2% in 2025Venezuela: 89.3% in 2025
- Median ageCuba: 41.7 years in 2023Venezuela: 29 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCuba: 16.2% in 2023Venezuela: 9.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateCuba: -2.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Venezuela: -4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingCuba: 2.88% of GDP in 2018Venezuela: 2.23% of GDP in 2017
- Military spending per personCuba: $11 in 2018Venezuela: $69 in 2017
- National powerCuba: 0.11% of world capability in 2022Venezuela: 0.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCuba: 1.54% of the labour force in 2020Venezuela: 3.47% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCuba: 8 million TIV in 2004Venezuela: 98 million TIV in 2023
- Arms exportsCuba: 8 million TIV in 1980Venezuela: 40 million TIV in 2009