Singapore vs United Arab Emirates: Armed forces personnel

Armed forces personnel in 2020: 59,000 people in Singapore and 63,000 people in United Arab Emirates, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 4,000 people, or 1.07 times that in Singapore.

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

SingaporeUnited Arab EmiratesEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2018, when it overtook Singapore.
In 2020, Singapore ranked 65 and United Arab Emirates ranked 63 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.

Every year

people · IISS

Year	Singapore	United Arab Emirates	World
2020	59,000	63,000	27.4 million
2019	59,000	63,000	27.7 million
2018	59,000	63,000	27.7 million
2017	81,000	63,000	27.4 million
2016	147,600	63,000	27.5 million
2015	147,600	63,000	27.4 million
2014	147,600	63,000	27.3 million
2013	147,600	63,000	27.2 million
2012	147,600	51,000	28.2 million
2011	147,600	51,000	28 million
2010	147,500	51,000	28.1 million
2009	147,500	51,000	27.9 million
2008	167,000	51,000	27.5 million
2007	167,000	51,000	27.3 million
2006	167,000	51,000	27 million
2005	167,000	51,000	28.5 million
2004	165,000	50,000	27.1 million
2003	168,800	50,500	28.2 million
2002	156,800	41,500	28.3 million
2001	154,500	66,000	28.2 million
2000	168,500	66,000	29.4 million
1999	181,000	65,500	29.6 million
1998	180,500	65,500	29.9 million
1997	178,000	65,500	29.9 million
1996	65,500	65,500	30.2 million
1995	65,500	71,000	30.2 million
1994	56,000	60,000	23.2 million
1993	56,000	55,000	23.7 million
1992	56,000	55,000	24.5 million
1991	56,000	66,000	22.7 million
1990	56,000	66,000	23.9 million
1989	56,000	43,000	24.3 million
1985	55,000	43,000	22.2 million
1984	56,000	44,000	–
1983	42,000	44,000	–
1982	60,000	44,000	–
1981	59,000	44,000	–
1980	50,000	44,000	–
1979	57,000	25,000	–
1978	64,000	25,000	–
1977	36,000	25,000	–
1976	35,000	27,000	–
1975	27,000	21,000	–
1974	24,000	19,000	–
1973	24,000	11,000	–
1972	20,000	10,000	–
1971	15,000	2,000	–
1970	14,000	–	–
1969	12,000	–	–
1968	11,000	–	–
1967	10,000	–	–
1966	0	–	–
1965	0	–	–

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

Singapore vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSingapore: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022