Armed forces personnel in Argentina

Argentina: Armed forces personnel was 103,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
103,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
108,000
in 1985
All-time low
65,000
in 1992
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel in Argentina, 1985–2020

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k1985200220201985: 108.0k1989: 95.0k1990: 85.0k1991: 70.0k1992: 65.0k1993: 65.0k1994: 69.0k1995: 98.5k1996: 103.7k1997: 104.2k1998: 104.2k1999: 101.7k2000: 102.3k2001: 101.3k2002: 101.1k2003: 102.6k2004: 102.0k2005: 102.0k2006: 107.0k2007: 107.0k2008: 107.0k2009: 104.3k2010: 104.3k2011: 104.3k2012: 104.3k2013: 105.7k2014: 105.7k2015: 105.5k2016: 105.5k2017: 105.0k2018: 105.2k2019: 103.0k2020: 103.0k

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 50 Jordan 116,000 compare
  2. 51 Chile 114,000 compare
  3. 52 Nepal 112,000 compare
  4. 54 South Africa 89,000 compare
  5. 55 Azerbaijan 82,000 compare
  6. 56 Lebanon 80,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Argentina

All data for Argentina →

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.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.