Armed forces personnel in Australia
Australia: Armed forces personnel was 60,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Australia, 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 Australia is 60,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Australia peaked at 70,400 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 50,900, in 2002.
That places Australia 64th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 70,400 | — |
| 1989 | 70,000 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 68,000 | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 68,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 68,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 68,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 65,000 | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 57,100 | -12.2% |
| 1996 | 58,800 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 58,400 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 58,400 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 56,200 | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 51,600 | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 51,700 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 50,900 | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 53,600 | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 52,000 | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 53,000 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 51,000 | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 55,000 | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 55,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 56,552 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 56,552 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 57,050 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 56,200 | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 56,750 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 56,750 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 57,800 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 57,800 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 58,000 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 58,100 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 59,000 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 60,000 | +1.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 60,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 2.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Australia's 60,000 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 41% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70,200 | 70,000 | 70,400 | 2 |
| 1990s | 62,590 | 56,200 | 68,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 53,035 | 50,900 | 56,552 | 10 |
| 2010s | 57,400 | 56,200 | 59,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 62 Uzbekistan 68,000 compare
- 63 United Arab Emirates 63,000 compare
- 65 Singapore 59,000 compare
- 66 Turkmenistan 57,000 compare
- 67 South Sudan 53,000 compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Australia?
- Armed forces personnel in Australia was 60,000 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 70,400 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50,900 in 2002.
- How does Australia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Australia ranks 64th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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.