Ireland

Armed forces personnel in Ireland

Armed forces personnel in Ireland: 13,700 people in 1985 and 9,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
9,000 people
Since 1985
−4,700 people
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in IrelandArmed forces personnel in Ireland: 13,700 people in 1985 and 9,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 17,000 people in 1994, the lowest 8,650 people in 2018.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 17,000 people in 1994, the lowest 8,650 people in 2018.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1922: 22,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearIrelandWorld
20209,00027.4 million
20199,00027.7 million
20188,65027.7 million
20179,00027.4 million
20169,10027.5 million
20159,10027.4 million
20149,10027.3 million
20139,35027.2 million
20129,35028.2 million
20118,90028 million
201010,46028.1 million
200910,46027.9 million
200810,00027.5 million
200710,00027.3 million
200610,00027 million
200510,00028.5 million
200410,00027.1 million
200310,40028.2 million
200210,50028.3 million
200110,50028.2 million
200011,50029.4 million
199911,50029.6 million
199811,50029.9 million
199712,70029.9 million
199612,70030.2 million
199512,90030.2 million
199417,00023.2 million
199313,00023.7 million
199213,00024.5 million
199113,00022.7 million
199013,00023.9 million
198913,00024.3 million
198513,70022.2 million
198413,000–
198318,000–
198221,000–
198119,000–
198019,000–
197914,000–
197814,000–
197713,000–
197614,000–
197511,000–
197411,000–
197310,000–
19729,000–
19719,000–
19708,000–
19698,000–
19688,000–
19678,000–
19668,000–
19658,000–
19648,000–
19638,000–
19627,000–
19616,000–
196013,000–
195913,000–
195813,000–
195713,000–
195613,000–
195513,000–
195413,000–
195313,000–
195213,000–
195113,000–
195013,000–
194913,000–
194811,000–
194711,000–
194611,000–
194511,000–
194410,000–
194310,000–
19429,000–
19418,000–
19408,000–
19398,000–
19386,000–
19376,000–
19366,000–
19356,000–
19346,000–
19336,000–
19326,000–
19316,000–
19306,000–
19297,000–
192810,000–
192713,000–
192612,000–
192518,000–
192420,000–
192320,000–
192222,000–
  • 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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