Iraq vs Turkey: Armed forces personnel
Iraq
459,000
in 2020
Turkey
512,000
in 2020
Iraq rank
15th
Turkey rank
13th
Armed forces personnel over time
- Iraq
- Turkey
How they compare
Turkey currently reports 512,000 against 459,000 in Iraq, a difference of 53,000.
That makes Turkey's figure about 1.1 times Iraq's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Iraq ahead.
Iraq ranks 15th and Turkey ranks 13th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 1 and Turkey in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Turkey | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.00 million | 705,000 | 295,000 | Iraq |
| 1990s | 534,470 | 765,480 | 231,010 | Turkey |
| 2000s | 430,940 | 650,520 | 219,580 | Turkey |
| 2010s | 409,780 | 562,420 | 152,640 | Turkey |
| 2020s | 459,000 | 512,000 | 53,000 | Turkey |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, Iraq or Turkey?
- Turkey, at 512,000 against 459,000 in Iraq as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Iraq and Turkey?
- 53,000, with Turkey ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Turkey?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Iraq and Turkey rank globally for armed forces personnel?
- Iraq ranks 15th and Turkey ranks 13th 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
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.