Australia

Armed forces personnel in Australia

Armed forces personnel in Australia: 70,400 people in 1985 and 60,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
60,000 people
Since 1985
−10,400 people
Rank, 2020
64 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in AustraliaArmed forces personnel in Australia: 70,400 people in 1985 and 60,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 70,400 people in 1985, the lowest 50,900 people in 2002.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 70,400 people in 1985, the lowest 50,900 people in 2002.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1920: 6,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearAustraliaWorld
202060,00027.4 million
201959,00027.7 million
201858,10027.7 million
201758,00027.4 million
201657,80027.5 million
201557,80027.4 million
201456,75027.3 million
201356,75027.2 million
201256,20028.2 million
201157,05028 million
201056,55028.1 million
200956,55027.9 million
200855,00027.5 million
200755,00027.3 million
200651,00027 million
200553,00028.5 million
200452,00027.1 million
200353,60028.2 million
200250,90028.3 million
200151,70028.2 million
200051,60029.4 million
199956,20029.6 million
199858,40029.9 million
199758,40029.9 million
199658,80030.2 million
199557,10030.2 million
199465,00023.2 million
199368,00023.7 million
199268,00024.5 million
199168,00022.7 million
199068,00023.9 million
198970,00024.3 million
198570,40022.2 million
198471,000–
198373,000–
198273,000–
198172,000–
198071,000–
197970,000–
197870,000–
197770,000–
197671,000–
197570,000–
197468,000–
197371,000–
197286,000–
197186,000–
197086,000–
196982,000–
196880,000–
196772,000–
196659,000–
196553,000–
196453,000–
196349,000–
196249,000–
196146,000–
196047,000–
195948,000–
195846,000–
195748,000–
195652,000–
195552,000–
195454,000–
195357,000–
195232,000–
195133,000–
195038,000–
194941,000–
194861,000–
194782,000–
1946103,000–
1945596,000–
1944680,000–
1943680,000–
1941400,000–
194082,000–
19398,000–
19388,000–
19378,000–
19368,000–
19358,000–
19348,000–
19336,000–
19326,000–
19316,000–
19307,000–
19297,000–
19288,000–
19278,000–
19268,000–
19257,000–
19247,000–
19237,000–
19226,000–
19216,000–
19206,000–
  • 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War

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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