Australia vs Canada: Military personnel
Australia
60,000 people
in 2022
Canada
67,000 people
in 2022
Australia rank
57th
Canada rank
55th
Military personnel over time
- Australia
- Canada
How they compare
Canada currently reports 67,000 people against 60,000 people in Australia, a difference of 7,000 people.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 102 shared years of data; in 1920 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 57th and Canada ranks 55th of 194 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and Canada in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Canada | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7,000 people | 4,100 people | 2,900 people | Australia |
| 1930s | 7,300 people | 5,400 people | 1,900 people | Australia |
| 1940s | 302,778 people | 305,111 people | 2,333 people | Canada |
| 1950s | 46,000 people | 100,900 people | 54,900 people | Canada |
| 1960s | 59,000 people | 114,900 people | 55,900 people | Canada |
| 1970s | 74,800 people | 82,600 people | 7,800 people | Canada |
| 1980s | 71,200 people | 83,700 people | 12,500 people | Canada |
| 1990s | 65,200 people | 72,300 people | 7,100 people | Canada |
| 2000s | 52,400 people | 59,200 people | 6,800 people | Canada |
| 2010s | 57,000 people | 65,500 people | 8,500 people | Canada |
| 2020s | 59,000 people | 67,000 people | 8,000 people | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Australia or Canada?
- Canada, at 67,000 people against 60,000 people in Australia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Australia and Canada?
- 7,000 people, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Canada?
- 102 years are reported by both, from 1920 to 2022.
- How do Australia and Canada rank globally for military personnel?
- Australia ranks 57th and Canada ranks 55th of 194 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.