Armed forces personnel in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Armed forces personnel was 227,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Bangladesh, 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 Bangladesh stood at 227,000.
The figure is up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Bangladesh peaked at 252,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 91,300, in 1985.
Bangladesh ranks 29th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 91,300 | — |
| 1989 | 103,000 | +12.8% |
| 1990 | 103,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 107,000 | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 113,000 | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 170,500 | +50.9% |
| 1996 | 167,200 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 170,700 | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 170,700 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 192,200 | +12.6% |
| 2000 | 137,000 | -28.7% |
| 2001 | 200,200 | +46.1% |
| 2002 | 200,200 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 188,700 | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 251,000 | +33.0% |
| 2005 | 252,000 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 214,000 | -15.1% |
| 2007 | 221,000 | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 221,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 220,953 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 220,953 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 220,950 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 220,950 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 220,950 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 220,950 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 220,950 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 220,950 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 221,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 227,050 | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 227,000 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 227,000 | +0.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 227,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 9.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 227,000 is above the median for South Asia, which is 227,000, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Bangladesh 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 | +50.9% | 113,000 | 170,500 |
| 2001 | +46.1% | 137,000 | 200,200 |
| 2004 | +33.0% | 188,700 | 251,000 |
| 2000 | -28.7% | 192,200 | 137,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 97,150 | 91,300 | 103,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 140,830 | 103,000 | 192,200 | 10 |
| 2000s | 210,605 | 137,000 | 252,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 222,170 | 220,950 | 227,050 | 10 |
| 2020s | 227,000 | 227,000 | 227,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More reference data data for Bangladesh
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 105.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Bangladesh?
- Armed forces personnel in Bangladesh was 227,000 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 252,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 91,300 in 1985.
- How does Bangladesh rank for armed forces personnel?
- Bangladesh ranks 29th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.