Colombia vs Venezuela: Armed forces personnel

Colombia
428,000
in 2020
Venezuela
343,000
in 2020
Colombia rank
17th
Venezuela rank
18th

Armed forces personnel over time

  • Colombia
  • Venezuela
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k198520022020

How they compare

Colombia currently reports 428,000 against 343,000 in Venezuela, a difference of 85,000.

That makes Colombia's figure about 1.2 times Venezuela's.

Across all 32 years both countries report, Colombia has been ahead every year.

Colombia ranks 17th and Venezuela ranks 18th of 173 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Colombia Venezuela Difference Ahead
1980s 78,600 62,000 16,600 Colombia
1990s 180,830 76,900 103,930 Colombia
2000s 334,736 100,433 234,303 Colombia
2010s 463,918 229,200 234,718 Colombia
2020s 428,000 343,000 85,000 Colombia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, Colombia or Venezuela?
Colombia, at 428,000 against 343,000 in Venezuela as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Colombia and Venezuela?
85,000, with Colombia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and Venezuela?
32 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Colombia and Venezuela rank globally for armed forces personnel?
Colombia ranks 17th and Venezuela ranks 18th of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Colombia vs Venezuela: Armed forces personnel. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel/colombia/venezuela-rb/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed