United States

Armed forces personnel in United States

Armed forces personnel in United States: 2.15 million people in 1985 and 1.4 million people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
1.4 million people
Since 1985
−757,000 people
Rank, 2020
5 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in United StatesArmed forces personnel in United States: 2.15 million people in 1985 and 1.4 million people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 2.24 million people in 1989, the lowest 1.35 million people in 2015.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 2.24 million people in 1989, the lowest 1.35 million people in 2015.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1816: 17,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearUnited StatesWorld
20201.4 million27.4 million
20191.39 million27.7 million
20181.38 million27.7 million
20171.36 million27.4 million
20161.35 million27.5 million
20151.35 million27.4 million
20141.38 million27.3 million
20131.43 million27.2 million
20121.49 million28.2 million
20111.52 million28 million
20101.57 million28.1 million
20091.56 million27.9 million
20081.54 million27.5 million
20071.56 million27.3 million
20061.5 million27 million
20051.55 million28.5 million
20041.47 million27.1 million
20031.48 million28.2 million
20021.47 million28.3 million
20011.42 million28.2 million
20001.46 million29.4 million
19991.58 million29.6 million
19981.59 million29.9 million
19971.53 million29.9 million
19961.57 million30.2 million
19951.64 million30.2 million
19941.72 million23.2 million
19931.82 million23.7 million
19921.92 million24.5 million
19912.12 million22.7 million
19902.18 million23.9 million
19892.24 million24.3 million
19852.15 million22.2 million
19842.22 million–
19832.2 million–
19822.17 million–
19812.1 million–
19802.05 million–
19792.03 million–
19782.06 million–
19772.06 million–
19762.08 million–
19752.1 million–
19742.15 million–
19732.21 million–
19722.32 million–
19712.72 million–
19703.07 million–
19693.46 million–
19683.55 million–
19673.38 million–
19663.09 million–
19652.66 million–
19642.69 million–
19632.7 million–
19622.81 million–
19612.31 million–
19602.31 million–
19592.33 million–
19582.41 million–
19572.8 million–
19562.81 million–
19552.94 million–
19543.3 million–
19533.56 million–
19523.64 million–
19513.25 million–
19501.46 million–
19491.62 million–
19481.45 million–
19471.58 million–
19463.03 million–
194512.1 million–
194411.5 million–
19439.05 million–
19423.86 million–
19411.8 million–
1940458,000–
1939334,000–
1938323,000–
1937312,000–
1936291,000–
1935252,000–
1934247,000–
1933244,000–
1932245,000–
1931253,000–
1930256,000–
1929255,000–
1928251,000–
1927249,000–
1926247,000–
1925252,000–
1924261,000–
1923247,000–
1922270,000–
1921387,000–
1920343,000–
19191.17 million–
19182.9 million–
1917644,000–
1916179,000–
1915174,000–
1914166,000–
1913155,000–
1912153,000–
1911145,000–
1910139,000–
1909142,000–
1908129,000–
1907108,000–
1906112,000–
1905108,000–
1904110,000–
1903106,000–
1902111,000–
1901112,000–
1900126,000–
1899100,000–
1898236,000–
189744,000–
189642,000–
189542,000–
189442,000–
189339,000–
189239,000–
189138,000–
189039,000–
188939,000–
188839,000–
188739,000–
188639,000–
188539,000–
188439,000–
188337,000–
188238,000–
188138,000–
188038,000–
187938,000–
187836,000–
187734,000–
187641,000–
187538,000–
187444,000–
187343,000–
187242,000–
187142,000–
187050,000–
186952,000–
186866,000–
186775,000–
186677,000–
18651.06 million–
18641.03 million–
1863960,000–
1862673,000–
1861217,000–
186028,000–
185929,000–
185829,000–
185727,000–
185626,000–
185526,000–
185421,000–
185321,000–
185221,000–
185121,000–
185021,000–
184923,000–
184860,000–
184758,000–
184639,000–
184521,000–
184421,000–
184321,000–
184223,000–
184121,000–
184022,000–
183919,000–
183818,000–
183722,000–
183617,000–
183514,000–
183413,000–
183313,000–
183212,000–
183111,000–
183012,000–
182912,000–
182811,000–
182712,000–
182612,000–
182511,000–
182411,000–
182311,000–
182210,000–
182111,000–
182015,000–
181913,000–
181814,000–
181715,000–
181617,000–
  • 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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