Nepal

Armed forces personnel in Nepal

Armed forces personnel in Nepal: 25,000 people in 1985 and 112,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
112,000 people
Since 1985
+87,000 people
Rank, 2020
52 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in NepalArmed forces personnel in Nepal: 25,000 people in 1985 and 112,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 158,600 people in 2015, the lowest 25,000 people in 1985.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 158,600 people in 2015, the lowest 25,000 people in 1985.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1920: 30,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearNepalWorld
2020112,00027.4 million
2019112,00027.7 million
2018111,60027.7 million
2017112,00027.4 million
2016158,60027.5 million
2015158,60027.4 million
2014157,80027.3 million
2013157,80027.2 million
2012157,80028.2 million
2011157,80028 million
2010157,80028.1 million
2009157,80027.9 million
2008131,00027.5 million
2007131,00027.3 million
2006131,00027 million
2005131,00028.5 million
2004131,00027.1 million
2003103,00028.2 million
200291,00028.3 million
200186,00028.2 million
200090,00029.4 million
199990,00029.6 million
199890,00029.9 million
199786,00029.9 million
199671,00030.2 million
199563,00030.2 million
199435,00023.2 million
199335,00023.7 million
199235,00024.5 million
199135,00022.7 million
199035,00023.9 million
198935,00024.3 million
198525,00022.2 million
198425,000–
198325,000–
198224,000–
198124,000–
198021,000–
197925,000–
197832,000–
197737,000–
197632,000–
197532,000–
197432,000–
197332,000–
197232,000–
197129,000–
197029,000–
196929,000–
196822,000–
196722,000–
196622,000–
196522,000–
196420,000–
196320,000–
196220,000–
196120,000–
196020,000–
195920,000–
195820,000–
195720,000–
195620,000–
195520,000–
195420,000–
195320,000–
195220,000–
195120,000–
195020,000–
194920,000–
194820,000–
194720,000–
194620,000–
194520,000–
194420,000–
194320,000–
194220,000–
194120,000–
194020,000–
193920,000–
193820,000–
193720,000–
193620,000–
193520,000–
193420,000–
193320,000–
193220,000–
193120,000–
193020,000–
192920,000–
192820,000–
192720,000–
192620,000–
192520,000–
192420,000–
192325,000–
192230,000–
192130,000–
192030,000–
  • 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

Nepal in numbers

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