New Zealand

Armed forces personnel in New Zealand

Armed forces personnel in New Zealand: 12,400 people in 1985 and 10,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
10,000 people
Since 1985
−2,400 people
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in New ZealandArmed forces personnel in New Zealand: 12,400 people in 1985 and 10,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 12,400 people in 1985, the lowest 8,000 people in 2004.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 12,400 people in 1985, the lowest 8,000 people in 2004.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1922: 1,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearNew ZealandWorld
202010,00027.4 million
20199,00027.7 million
20189,40027.7 million
20179,00027.4 million
20169,00027.5 million
20158,95027.4 million
20148,50027.3 million
20138,50027.2 million
20128,55028.2 million
20118,55028 million
20109,67328.1 million
20099,67327.9 million
20089,00027.5 million
20079,00027.3 million
20069,00027 million
20059,00028.5 million
20048,00027.1 million
20038,60028.2 million
20028,70028.3 million
20019,20028.2 million
20009,20029.4 million
19999,53029.6 million
19989,55029.9 million
19979,55029.9 million
19969,87030.2 million
199510,10030.2 million
199410,00023.2 million
199311,00023.7 million
199211,00024.5 million
199111,00022.7 million
199011,00023.9 million
198912,00024.3 million
198512,40022.2 million
198413,000–
198313,000–
198212,000–
198112,000–
198013,000–
197913,000–
197813,000–
197713,000–
197613,000–
197513,000–
197413,000–
197313,000–
197214,000–
197114,000–
197014,000–
196914,000–
196813,000–
196713,000–
196613,000–
196513,000–
196413,000–
196312,000–
196212,000–
196113,000–
196012,000–
195912,000–
195811,000–
195712,000–
195611,000–
195510,000–
195410,000–
195310,000–
195210,000–
19519,000–
19509,000–
1944157,000–
1942154,000–
1941100,000–
19401,000–
19391,000–
19381,000–
19371,000–
19361,000–
19351,000–
19341,000–
19331,000–
19321,000–
19311,000–
19301,000–
19291,000–
19281,000–
19271,000–
19261,000–
19251,000–
19241,000–
19231,000–
19221,000–
  • 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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