Iraq vs Syria: Military personnel

Iraq
193,000
in 2022
Syria
169,000
in 2022
Iraq rank
26th
Syria rank
29th

Military personnel over time

  • Iraq
  • Syria
0500.0k1.0M1.5M193219772022

How they compare

Iraq currently reports 193,000 against 169,000 in Syria, a difference of 24,000.

That makes Iraq's figure about 1.1 times Syria's.

The two have swapped places 14 times across 75 shared years of data; in 1946 it was Iraq ahead.

Iraq ranks 26th and Syria ranks 29th of 194 countries.

Iraq has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iraq Syria Difference Ahead
1940s 36,000 12,000 24,000 Iraq
1950s 49,333 36,778 12,556 Iraq
1960s 87,889 70,111 17,778 Iraq
1970s 181,100 170,500 10,600 Iraq
1980s 693,600 362,400 331,200 Iraq
1990s 524,400 353,700 170,700 Iraq
2000s 362,100 309,800 52,300 Iraq
2010s 207,100 200,500 6,600 Iraq
2020s 193,000 169,000 24,000 Iraq

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq, at 193,000 against 169,000 in Syria as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel between Iraq and Syria?
24,000, with Iraq ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Syria?
75 years are reported by both, from 1946 to 2022.
How do Iraq and Syria rank globally for military personnel?
Iraq ranks 26th and Syria ranks 29th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
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

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed