Ireland vs United States

Ireland vs United States: Armed forces personnel

Armed forces personnel in 2020: 9,000 people in Ireland and 1.4 million people in United States, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United States, by 1.39 million people, or 160 times that in Ireland.

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Ireland vs United States: Armed forces personnelArmed forces personnel in 2020: 9,000 people in Ireland and 1.4 million people in United States, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United States, by 1.39 million people, or 160 times that in Ireland.
IrelandUnited StatesEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • United States 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

YearIrelandUnited StatesWorld
20209,0001.4 million27.4 million
20199,0001.39 million27.7 million
20188,6501.38 million27.7 million
20179,0001.36 million27.4 million
20169,1001.35 million27.5 million
20159,1001.35 million27.4 million
20149,1001.38 million27.3 million
20139,3501.43 million27.2 million
20129,3501.49 million28.2 million
20118,9001.52 million28 million
201010,4601.57 million28.1 million
200910,4601.56 million27.9 million
200810,0001.54 million27.5 million
200710,0001.56 million27.3 million
200610,0001.5 million27 million
200510,0001.55 million28.5 million
200410,0001.47 million27.1 million
200310,4001.48 million28.2 million
200210,5001.47 million28.3 million
200110,5001.42 million28.2 million
200011,5001.46 million29.4 million
199911,5001.58 million29.6 million
199811,5001.59 million29.9 million
199712,7001.53 million29.9 million
199612,7001.57 million30.2 million
199512,9001.64 million30.2 million
199417,0001.72 million23.2 million
199313,0001.82 million23.7 million
199213,0001.92 million24.5 million
199113,0002.12 million22.7 million
199013,0002.18 million23.9 million
198913,0002.24 million24.3 million
198513,7002.15 million22.2 million
198413,0002.22 million–
198318,0002.2 million–
198221,0002.17 million–
198119,0002.1 million–
198019,0002.05 million–
197914,0002.03 million–
197814,0002.06 million–
197713,0002.06 million–
197614,0002.08 million–
197511,0002.1 million–
197411,0002.15 million–
197310,0002.21 million–
19729,0002.32 million–
19719,0002.72 million–
19708,0003.07 million–
19698,0003.46 million–
19688,0003.55 million–
19678,0003.38 million–
19668,0003.09 million–
19658,0002.66 million–
19648,0002.69 million–
19638,0002.7 million–
19627,0002.81 million–
19616,0002.31 million–
196013,0002.31 million–
195913,0002.33 million–
195813,0002.41 million–
195713,0002.8 million–
195613,0002.81 million–
195513,0002.94 million–
195413,0003.3 million–
195313,0003.56 million–
195213,0003.64 million–
195113,0003.25 million–
195013,0001.46 million–
194913,0001.62 million–
194811,0001.45 million–
194711,0001.58 million–
194611,0003.03 million–
194511,00012.1 million–
194410,00011.5 million–
194310,0009.05 million–
19429,0003.86 million–
19418,0001.8 million–
19408,000458,000–
19398,000334,000–
19386,000323,000–
19376,000312,000–
19366,000291,000–
19356,000252,000–
19346,000247,000–
19336,000244,000–
19326,000245,000–
19316,000253,000–
19306,000256,000–
19297,000255,000–
192810,000251,000–
192713,000249,000–
192612,000247,000–
192518,000252,000–
192420,000261,000–
192320,000247,000–
192222,000270,000–
1921–387,000–
1920–343,000–
1919–1.17 million–
1918–2.9 million–
1917–644,000–
1916–179,000–
1915–174,000–
1914–166,000–
1913–155,000–
1912–153,000–
1911–145,000–
1910–139,000–
1909–142,000–
1908–129,000–
1907–108,000–
1906–112,000–
1905–108,000–
1904–110,000–
1903–106,000–
1902–111,000–
1901–112,000–
1900–126,000–
1899–100,000–
1898–236,000–
1897–44,000–
1896–42,000–
1895–42,000–
1894–42,000–
1893–39,000–
1892–39,000–
1891–38,000–
1890–39,000–
1889–39,000–
1888–39,000–
1887–39,000–
1886–39,000–
1885–39,000–
1884–39,000–
1883–37,000–
1882–38,000–
1881–38,000–
1880–38,000–
1879–38,000–
1878–36,000–
1877–34,000–
1876–41,000–
1875–38,000–
1874–44,000–
1873–43,000–
1872–42,000–
1871–42,000–
1870–50,000–
1869–52,000–
1868–66,000–
1867–75,000–
1866–77,000–
1865–1.06 million–
1864–1.03 million–
1863–960,000–
1862–673,000–
1861–217,000–
1860–28,000–
1859–29,000–
1858–29,000–
1857–27,000–
1856–26,000–
1855–26,000–
1854–21,000–
1853–21,000–
1852–21,000–
1851–21,000–
1850–21,000–
1849–23,000–
1848–60,000–
1847–58,000–
1846–39,000–
1845–21,000–
1844–21,000–
1843–21,000–
1842–23,000–
1841–21,000–
1840–22,000–
1839–19,000–
1838–18,000–
1837–22,000–
1836–17,000–
1835–14,000–
1834–13,000–
1833–13,000–
1832–12,000–
1831–11,000–
1830–12,000–
1829–12,000–
1828–11,000–
1827–12,000–
1826–12,000–
1825–11,000–
1824–11,000–
1823–11,000–
1822–10,000–
1821–11,000–
1820–15,000–
1819–13,000–
1818–14,000–
1817–15,000–
1816–17,000–
  • 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

Ireland vs United States

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Military

Climate

Technology and environment