Iraq vs Israel: Military personnel
Iraq
193,000 people
in 2022
Israel
170,000 people
in 2022
Iraq rank
26th
Israel rank
28th
Military personnel over time
- Iraq
- Israel
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 193,000 people against 170,000 people in Israel, a difference of 23,000 people.
That makes Iraq's figure about 1.1 times Israel's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 75 shared years of data; in 1948 it was Israel ahead.
Iraq ranks 26th and Israel ranks 28th of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 7 and Israel in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Israel | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 31,000 people | 83,500 people | 52,500 people | Israel |
| 1950s | 50,100 people | 72,800 people | 22,700 people | Israel |
| 1960s | 86,500 people | 72,300 people | 14,200 people | Iraq |
| 1970s | 181,100 people | 156,000 people | 25,100 people | Iraq |
| 1980s | 693,600 people | 194,900 people | 498,700 people | Iraq |
| 1990s | 524,400 people | 183,000 people | 341,400 people | Iraq |
| 2000s | 362,100 people | 169,000 people | 193,100 people | Iraq |
| 2010s | 207,100 people | 176,300 people | 30,800 people | Iraq |
| 2020s | 193,000 people | 170,000 people | 23,000 people | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Iraq or Israel?
- Iraq, at 193,000 people against 170,000 people in Israel as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Iraq and Israel?
- 23,000 people, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Israel?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2022.
- How do Iraq and Israel rank globally for military personnel?
- Iraq ranks 26th and Israel ranks 28th 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.