Bangladesh vs Syria: Armed forces personnel

Bangladesh
227,000
in 2020
Syria
269,000
in 2020
Bangladesh rank
29th
Syria rank
26th

Armed forces personnel over time

  • Bangladesh
  • Syria
100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k198520022020

How they compare

Syria currently reports 269,000 against 227,000 in Bangladesh, a difference of 42,000.

That makes Syria's figure about 1.2 times Bangladesh's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Syria ahead.

Bangladesh ranks 29th and Syria ranks 26th of 173 countries.

Syria has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bangladesh Syria Difference Ahead
1980s 97,150 401,250 304,100 Syria
1990s 140,830 429,200 288,370 Syria
2000s 210,605 414,480 203,875 Syria
2010s 222,170 256,800 34,630 Syria
2020s 227,000 269,000 42,000 Syria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, Bangladesh or Syria?
Syria, at 269,000 against 227,000 in Bangladesh as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Bangladesh and Syria?
42,000, with Syria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and Syria?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Bangladesh and Syria rank globally for armed forces personnel?
Bangladesh ranks 29th and Syria ranks 26th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.