Armed forces personnel in Argentina
Argentina: Armed forces personnel was 103,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Argentina, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Argentina is 103,000, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Argentina peaked at 108,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 65,000, in 1992.
That places Argentina 53rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Argentina, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 108,000 | — |
| 1989 | 95,000 | -12.0% |
| 1990 | 85,000 | -10.5% |
| 1991 | 70,000 | -17.6% |
| 1992 | 65,000 | -7.1% |
| 1993 | 65,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 69,000 | +6.2% |
| 1995 | 98,500 | +42.8% |
| 1996 | 103,700 | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 104,240 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 104,240 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 101,740 | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 102,300 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 101,300 | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 101,100 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 102,600 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 102,000 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 102,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 107,000 | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 104,340 | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 104,340 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 104,350 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 104,350 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 105,650 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 105,650 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 105,450 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 105,450 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 105,000 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 105,200 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 103,000 | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 103,000 | +0.0% |
Argentina compared with similar countries
- Argentina's 103,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Argentina's 103,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 3.6× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Argentina changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +42.8% | 69,000 | 98,500 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 101,500 | 95,000 | 108,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 86,642 | 65,000 | 104,240 | 10 |
| 2000s | 103,664 | 101,100 | 107,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 104,844 | 103,000 | 105,650 | 10 |
| 2020s | 103,000 | 103,000 | 103,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Argentina
More reference data data for Argentina
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 37.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 37.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 111.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 187.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 31.35 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Argentina?
- Armed forces personnel in Argentina was 103,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Argentina?
- The highest recorded value was 108,000 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Argentina?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,000 in 1992.
- How does Argentina rank for armed forces personnel?
- Argentina ranks 53rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Argentina?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Argentina data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.