Armed forces personnel in Switzerland

Armed forces personnel in Switzerland: 20,000 people in 1985 and 20,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020: 20,000 people
Since 1985: 0 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 109,000 people in 2005, the lowest 4,000 people in 2004.
Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1816: 0 people.

Every year

people · IISS

Year	Switzerland	World
2020	20,000	27.4 million
2019	20,000	27.7 million
2018	21,450	27.7 million
2017	21,000	27.4 million
2016	20,950	27.5 million
2015	20,950	27.4 million
2014	20,800	27.3 million
2013	21,250	27.2 million
2012	22,650	28.2 million
2011	23,100	28 million
2010	25,290	28.1 million
2009	25,620	27.9 million
2008	23,000	27.5 million
2007	23,000	27.3 million
2006	23,000	27 million
2005	109,000	28.5 million
2004	4,000	27.1 million
2003	27,500	28.2 million
2002	27,600	28.3 million
2001	26,800	28.2 million
2000	27,700	29.4 million
1999	27,700	29.6 million
1998	26,300	29.9 million
1997	26,260	29.9 million
1996	27,300	30.2 million
1995	31,400	30.2 million
1994	39,000	23.2 million
1993	35,000	23.7 million
1992	31,000	24.5 million
1991	22,000	22.7 million
1990	22,000	23.9 million
1989	17,000	24.3 million
1985	20,000	22.2 million
1984	25,000	–
1983	28,000	–
1982	23,000	–
1981	23,000	–
1980	23,000	–
1979	23,000	–
1978	19,000	–
1977	19,000	–
1976	25,000	–
1975	25,000	–
1974	25,000	–
1973	25,000	–
1972	25,000	–
1971	25,000	–
1970	25,000	–
1969	25,000	–
1968	25,000	–
1967	25,000	–
1966	25,000	–
1965	20,000	–
1964	20,000	–
1963	20,000	–
1962	29,000	–
1961	29,000	–
1960	0	–
1959	0	–
1958	0	–
1957	0	–
1956	0	–
1955	0	–
1954	0	–
1953	0	–
1952	0	–
1951	0	–
1950	0	–
1949	0	–
1948	0	–
1947	0	–
1946	0	–
1945	525,000	–
1944	525,000	–
1943	525,000	–
1942	525,000	–
1941	525,000	–
1940	650,000	–
1939	0	–
1938	0	–
1937	0	–
1936	0	–
1935	0	–
1934	0	–
1933	0	–
1932	0	–
1931	0	–
1930	0	–
1929	0	–
1928	0	–
1927	0	–
1926	0	–
1925	0	–
1924	0	–
1923	0	–
1922	0	–
1921	0	–
1920	0	–
1919	0	–
1918	250,000	–
1917	250,000	–
1916	250,000	–
1915	250,000	–
1914	0	–
1913	0	–
1912	0	–
1911	0	–
1910	0	–
1909	0	–
1908	0	–
1907	0	–
1906	0	–
1905	0	–
1904	0	–
1903	0	–
1902	0	–
1901	0	–
1900	0	–
1899	0	–
1898	0	–
1897	0	–
1896	0	–
1895	0	–
1894	0	–
1893	0	–
1892	0	–
1891	0	–
1890	0	–
1889	0	–
1888	0	–
1887	0	–
1886	0	–
1885	0	–
1884	0	–
1883	0	–
1882	0	–
1881	0	–
1880	0	–
1879	0	–
1878	0	–
1877	0	–
1876	0	–
1875	0	–
1874	0	–
1873	0	–
1872	0	–
1871	0	–
1870	0	–
1869	0	–
1868	0	–
1867	0	–
1866	0	–
1865	0	–
1864	0	–
1863	0	–
1862	0	–
1861	0	–
1860	0	–
1859	0	–
1858	0	–
1857	30,000	–
1856	0	–
1855	0	–
1854	0	–
1853	0	–
1852	0	–
1851	0	–
1850	0	–
1849	0	–
1848	0	–
1847	0	–
1846	0	–
1845	0	–
1844	0	–
1843	0	–
1842	0	–
1841	0	–
1840	0	–
1839	0	–
1838	0	–
1837	0	–
1836	0	–
1835	0	–
1834	0	–
1833	0	–
1832	0	–
1831	0	–
1830	0	–
1829	0	–
1828	0	–
1827	0	–
1826	0	–
1825	0	–
1824	0	–
1823	0	–
1822	0	–
1821	0	–
1820	0	–
1819	0	–
1818	0	–
1817	0	–
1816	0	–

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 Switzerland

What the numbers say

Every year

Good to know

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