Armed forces personnel in Norway

Armed forces personnel in Norway: 37,000 people in 1985 and 25,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020: 25,000 people
Since 1985: −12,000 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 51,000 people in 1990, the lowest 16,000 people in 2006.
Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1905: 32,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

Year	Norway	World
2020	25,000	27.4 million
2019	23,000	27.7 million
2018	23,250	27.7 million
2017	23,000	27.4 million
2016	23,950	27.5 million
2015	24,950	27.4 million
2014	25,800	27.3 million
2013	25,800	27.2 million
2012	25,800	28.2 million
2011	24,450	28 million
2010	24,450	28.1 million
2009	26,450	27.9 million
2008	19,000	27.5 million
2007	19,000	27.3 million
2006	16,000	27 million
2005	47,000	28.5 million
2004	25,000	27.1 million
2003	26,600	28.2 million
2002	26,600	28.3 million
2001	26,700	28.2 million
2000	27,000	29.4 million
1999	31,000	29.6 million
1998	28,870	29.9 million
1997	34,300	29.9 million
1996	30,700	30.2 million
1995	30,700	30.2 million
1994	33,000	23.2 million
1993	32,000	23.7 million
1992	36,000	24.5 million
1991	41,000	22.7 million
1990	51,000	23.9 million
1989	43,000	24.3 million
1985	37,000	22.2 million
1984	39,000	–
1983	41,000	–
1982	40,000	–
1981	39,000	–
1980	40,000	–
1979	40,000	–
1978	40,000	–
1977	39,000	–
1976	39,000	–
1975	38,000	–
1974	40,000	–
1973	39,000	–
1972	35,000	–
1971	35,000	–
1970	35,000	–
1969	35,000	–
1968	35,000	–
1967	35,000	–
1966	35,000	–
1965	35,000	–
1964	35,000	–
1963	35,000	–
1962	34,000	–
1961	32,000	–
1960	37,000	–
1959	36,000	–
1958	35,000	–
1957	34,000	–
1956	34,000	–
1955	33,000	–
1954	32,000	–
1953	31,000	–
1952	31,000	–
1951	30,000	–
1950	30,000	–
1949	30,000	–
1948	30,000	–
1947	30,000	–
1946	33,000	–
1945	4,000	–
1940	4,000	–
1939	4,000	–
1938	4,000	–
1937	4,000	–
1936	4,000	–
1935	4,000	–
1934	4,000	–
1933	5,000	–
1932	5,000	–
1931	5,000	–
1930	4,000	–
1929	6,000	–
1928	6,000	–
1927	6,000	–
1926	7,000	–
1925	6,000	–
1924	7,000	–
1923	7,000	–
1922	7,000	–
1921	7,000	–
1920	7,000	–
1919	7,000	–
1918	7,000	–
1917	7,000	–
1916	5,000	–
1915	5,000	–
1914	5,000	–
1913	5,000	–
1912	5,000	–
1911	5,000	–
1910	5,000	–
1909	7,000	–
1908	7,000	–
1907	7,000	–
1906	7,000	–
1905	32,000	–

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 Norway

What the numbers say

Every year

Good to know

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