Armed forces personnel in Austria
Austria: Armed forces personnel was 23,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Austria, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Austria recorded 23,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Austria peaked at 55,800 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 21,000, in 2017.
Austria ranks 98th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 51,350 | 48,000 | 54,700 | 2 |
| 1990s | 46,410 | 40,500 | 55,800 | 10 |
| 2000s | 35,920 | 25,900 | 40,500 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,641 | 21,000 | 25,758 | 10 |
| 2020s | 23,000 | 23,000 | 23,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Austria
More reference data data for Austria
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.52 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 2.59 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.9044 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.45 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.99 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 153.4 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Austria?
- Armed forces personnel in Austria was 23,000 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 Austria?
- The highest recorded value was 55,800 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Austria?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,000 in 2017.
- How does Austria rank for armed forces personnel?
- Austria ranks 98th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Austria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Austria 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.