Armed forces personnel in Finland

Armed forces personnel in Finland: 36,500 people in 1985 and 22,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020: 22,000 people
Since 1985: −14,500 people
World, 2020: 27.4 million people

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

The highest was 39,000 people in 1989, the lowest 22,000 people in 2020.
Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1919: 38,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

Year	Finland	World
2020	22,000	27.4 million
2019	27,000	27.7 million
2018	25,200	27.7 million
2017	25,000	27.4 million
2016	24,200	27.5 million
2015	24,900	27.4 million
2014	25,000	27.3 million
2013	25,000	27.2 million
2012	25,000	28.2 million
2011	25,000	28 million
2010	24,980	28.1 million
2009	25,050	27.9 million
2008	32,000	27.5 million
2007	32,000	27.3 million
2006	32,000	27 million
2005	31,000	28.5 million
2004	31,000	27.1 million
2003	30,100	28.2 million
2002	34,900	28.3 million
2001	35,400	28.2 million
2000	35,100	29.4 million
1999	35,100	29.6 million
1998	35,100	29.9 million
1997	34,400	29.9 million
1996	36,000	30.2 million
1995	34,500	30.2 million
1994	35,000	23.2 million
1993	31,000	23.7 million
1992	33,000	24.5 million
1991	32,000	22.7 million
1990	31,000	23.9 million
1989	39,000	24.3 million
1985	36,500	22.2 million
1984	40,000	–
1983	40,000	–
1982	36,000	–
1981	36,000	–
1980	36,000	–
1979	36,000	–
1978	40,000	–
1977	40,000	–
1976	36,000	–
1975	40,000	–
1974	40,000	–
1973	40,000	–
1972	40,000	–
1971	40,000	–
1970	40,000	–
1969	40,000	–
1968	40,000	–
1967	40,000	–
1966	40,000	–
1965	40,000	–
1964	40,000	–
1963	35,000	–
1962	47,000	–
1961	48,000	–
1960	42,000	–
1959	42,000	–
1958	42,000	–
1957	42,000	–
1956	42,000	–
1955	42,000	–
1954	42,000	–
1953	42,000	–
1952	42,000	–
1951	42,000	–
1950	42,000	–
1949	42,000	–
1948	42,000	–
1947	42,000	–
1946	42,000	–
1945	32,000	–
1944	350,000	–
1943	350,000	–
1940	300,000	–
1939	37,000	–
1938	36,000	–
1937	31,000	–
1936	31,000	–
1935	31,000	–
1934	31,000	–
1933	32,000	–
1932	29,000	–
1931	31,000	–
1930	27,000	–
1929	29,000	–
1928	30,000	–
1927	30,000	–
1926	29,000	–
1925	32,000	–
1924	31,000	–
1923	29,000	–
1922	30,000	–
1921	35,000	–
1920	39,000	–
1919	38,000	–

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

Armed forces personnel in Finland

What the numbers say

Every year

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