Morocco vs Syria: Armed forces personnel
Morocco
246,000
in 2020
Syria
269,000
in 2020
Morocco rank
28th
Syria rank
26th
Armed forces personnel over time
- Morocco
- Syria
How they compare
Syria currently reports 269,000 against 246,000 in Morocco, a difference of 23,000.
That makes Syria's figure about 1.1 times Morocco's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Syria ahead.
Morocco ranks 28th 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 | Morocco | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 172,000 | 401,250 | 229,250 | Syria |
| 1990s | 216,340 | 429,200 | 212,860 | Syria |
| 2000s | 246,440 | 414,480 | 168,040 | Syria |
| 2010s | 245,840 | 256,800 | 10,960 | Syria |
| 2020s | 246,000 | 269,000 | 23,000 | Syria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel, Morocco or Syria?
- Syria, at 269,000 against 246,000 in Morocco as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Morocco and Syria?
- 23,000, with Syria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Morocco and Syria?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Morocco and Syria rank globally for armed forces personnel?
- Morocco ranks 28th 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
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.