Thailand vs United Kingdom
Thailand vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 455,000 people in Thailand and 153,000 people in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Thailand, by 302,000 people, or 2.97 times that in United Kingdom.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Thailand has been higher since 1993, when it overtook United Kingdom.
- In 2020, Thailand ranked 16 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
| Year | Thailand | United Kingdom | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 455,000 | 153,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 455,000 | 149,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 454,900 | 148,500 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 455,000 | 148,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 454,600 | 150,300 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 454,600 | 152,400 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 453,600 | 154,700 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 453,600 | 159,200 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 453,600 | 169,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 474,600 | 165,700 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 419,600 | 174,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 419,600 | 178,500 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 421,000 | 160,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 420,000 | 160,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 420,000 | 181,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 421,000 | 217,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 419,000 | 205,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 427,200 | 212,600 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 419,000 | 210,400 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 410,000 | 211,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 416,600 | 212,500 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 377,000 | 218,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 377,000 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 337,000 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 393,500 | 221,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 420,500 | 233,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 290,000 | 257,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 295,000 | 271,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 283,000 | 293,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 283,000 | 301,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 283,000 | 308,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 283,000 | 318,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 235,300 | 334,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 235,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1983 | 233,000 | 333,000 | – |
| 1982 | 250,000 | 335,000 | – |
| 1981 | 250,000 | 341,000 | – |
| 1980 | 234,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1979 | 250,000 | 324,000 | – |
| 1978 | 250,000 | 320,000 | – |
| 1977 | 230,000 | 326,000 | – |
| 1976 | 228,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1975 | 227,000 | 348,000 | – |
| 1974 | 221,000 | 359,000 | – |
| 1973 | 233,000 | 377,000 | – |
| 1972 | 205,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1971 | 195,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1970 | 175,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1969 | 175,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1968 | 167,000 | 410,000 | – |
| 1967 | 151,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1966 | 151,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1965 | 132,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1964 | 85,000 | 435,000 | – |
| 1963 | 85,000 | 450,000 | – |
| 1962 | 83,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1961 | 80,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1960 | 97,000 | 519,000 | – |
| 1959 | 99,000 | 565,000 | – |
| 1958 | 100,000 | 614,000 | – |
| 1957 | 100,000 | 702,000 | – |
| 1956 | 50,000 | 761,000 | – |
| 1955 | 45,000 | 809,000 | – |
| 1954 | 45,000 | 839,000 | – |
| 1953 | 45,000 | 865,000 | – |
| 1952 | 44,000 | 872,000 | – |
| 1951 | 44,000 | 826,000 | – |
| 1950 | 44,000 | 689,000 | – |
| 1949 | 44,000 | 770,000 | – |
| 1948 | 44,000 | 847,000 | – |
| 1947 | 44,000 | 1.3 million | – |
| 1946 | 44,000 | 2.05 million | – |
| 1945 | – | 5.09 million | – |
| 1944 | – | 4.9 million | – |
| 1943 | – | 4.15 million | – |
| 1942 | – | 3.39 million | – |
| 1941 | – | 2.3 million | – |
| 1940 | – | 1.02 million | – |
| 1939 | 31,000 | 394,000 | – |
| 1938 | 38,000 | 376,000 | – |
| 1937 | 35,000 | 350,000 | – |
| 1936 | 32,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1935 | 27,000 | 321,000 | – |
| 1934 | 27,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1933 | 27,000 | 316,000 | – |
| 1932 | 30,000 | 317,000 | – |
| 1931 | 30,000 | 319,000 | – |
| 1930 | 28,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1929 | 28,000 | 325,000 | – |
| 1928 | 27,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1927 | 27,000 | 338,000 | – |
| 1926 | 26,000 | 341,000 | – |
| 1925 | 25,000 | 342,000 | – |
| 1924 | 26,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1923 | 26,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1922 | 24,000 | 368,000 | – |
| 1921 | 25,000 | 448,000 | – |
| 1920 | 25,000 | 596,000 | – |
| 1919 | 25,000 | 1.33 million | – |
| 1918 | 32,000 | 4.22 million | – |
| 1917 | 32,000 | 4.43 million | – |
| 1916 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 32,000 | 4.35 million | – |
| 1914 | 32,000 | 532,000 | – |
| 1913 | 31,000 | 533,000 | – |
| 1912 | 31,000 | 523,000 | – |
| 1911 | 31,000 | 376,000 | – |
| 1910 | 31,000 | 372,000 | – |
| 1909 | 31,000 | 381,000 | – |
| 1908 | 31,000 | 364,000 | – |
| 1907 | 26,000 | 369,000 | – |
| 1906 | 16,000 | 384,000 | – |
| 1905 | 18,000 | 394,000 | – |
| 1904 | 18,000 | 409,000 | – |
| 1903 | 18,000 | 416,000 | – |
| 1902 | 10,000 | 489,000 | – |
| 1901 | 4,000 | 521,000 | – |
| 1900 | 10,000 | 487,000 | – |
| 1899 | 6,000 | 331,000 | – |
| 1898 | 6,000 | 331,000 | – |
| 1897 | 6,000 | 319,000 | – |
| 1896 | 6,000 | 315,000 | – |
| 1895 | 6,000 | 309,000 | – |
| 1894 | 6,000 | 302,000 | – |
| 1893 | 5,000 | 294,000 | – |
| 1892 | 15,000 | 288,000 | – |
| 1891 | 15,000 | 281,000 | – |
| 1890 | 15,000 | 278,000 | – |
| 1889 | 15,000 | 275,000 | – |
| 1888 | 15,000 | 273,000 | – |
| 1887 | 15,000 | 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
Thailand vs United Kingdom
Health
- Life expectancyThailand: 76.4 years in 2023United Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityThailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024United Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityThailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023United Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionThailand: 3.09% in 2017United Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateThailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017United Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationThailand: 71.7 million people in 2023United Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthThailand: -0.04% a year in 2023United Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateThailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023United Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationThailand: 62.8% in 2025United Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025
- Median ageThailand: 39.7 years in 2023United Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overThailand: 14.7% in 2023United Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateThailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023United Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingThailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 2.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsThailand: $5.57B in 2025United Kingdom: $88B in 2025
- Military spending per personThailand: $84 in 2025United Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingThailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025United Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025
- National powerThailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022United Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersThailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020United Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsThailand: 33 million TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsThailand: 15 million TIV in 2024United Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025