Armed forces personnel in Bahrain
Bahrain: Armed forces personnel was 19,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Bahrain, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Bahrain stood at 19,000.
The figure is down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Bahrain peaked at 21,400 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2,800, in 1985.
Bahrain ranks 108th of 173 countries on this measure, 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 Bahrain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2,800 | — |
| 1989 | 5,000 | +78.6% |
| 1990 | 8,000 | +60.0% |
| 1991 | 8,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7,000 | -12.5% |
| 1993 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8,000 | +14.3% |
| 1995 | 20,000 | +150.0% |
| 1996 | 20,300 | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 20,850 | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 21,150 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 21,200 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 21,200 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 20,900 | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 21,400 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 21,000 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 19,000 | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 19,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 19,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19,460 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 19,460 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 19,000 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 19,200 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 19,000 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 19,000 | +0.0% |
Bahrain compared with similar countries
- Bahrain's 19,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 76% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Bahrain's 19,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 24% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Bahrain 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 | +150.0% | 8,000 | 20,000 |
| 1989 | +78.6% | 2,800 | 5,000 |
| 1990 | +60.0% | 5,000 | 8,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,900 | 2,800 | 5,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 14,115 | 7,000 | 21,150 | 10 |
| 2000s | 20,316 | 19,000 | 21,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19,342 | 19,000 | 19,460 | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,000 | 19,000 | 19,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More reference data data for Bahrain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0034 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0013 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0528 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Bahrain?
- Armed forces personnel in Bahrain was 19,000 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 Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 21,400 in 2003.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,800 in 1985.
- How does Bahrain rank for armed forces personnel?
- Bahrain ranks 108th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bahrain 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
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.