Armed forces personnel in Belarus
Belarus: Armed forces personnel was 158,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Belarus, 1992–2020
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 Belarus stood at 158,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Belarus peaked at 192,900 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 65,000, in 1994.
That places Belarus 38th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Belarus, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 102,000 | — |
| 1993 | 115,000 | +12.7% |
| 1994 | 65,000 | -43.5% |
| 1995 | 106,400 | +63.7% |
| 1996 | 93,500 | -12.1% |
| 1997 | 89,800 | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 91,000 | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 103,900 | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 91,100 | -12.3% |
| 2001 | 192,900 | +111.7% |
| 2002 | 189,800 | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 182,900 | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 182,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 183,000 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 183,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 182,940 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 182,940 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 158,000 | -13.6% |
| 2012 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 158,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 155,350 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 155,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 155,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 155,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 158,000 | +1.9% |
Belarus compared with similar countries
- Belarus's 158,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Belarus's 158,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 6.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Belarus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +111.7% | 91,100 | 192,900 |
| 1995 | +63.7% | 65,000 | 106,400 |
| 1994 | -43.5% | 115,000 | 65,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95,825 | 65,000 | 115,000 | 8 |
| 2000s | 175,364 | 91,100 | 192,900 | 10 |
| 2010s | 159,364 | 155,000 | 182,940 | 10 |
| 2020s | 158,000 | 158,000 | 158,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belarus
- 35 Germany 183,000 compare
- 36 Israel 178,000 compare
- 37 Afghanistan 165,000 compare
- 38 Peru 158,000 compare
- 40 Philippines 157,000 compare
- 41 United Kingdom 153,000 compare
More reference data data for Belarus
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3462 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 5.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.96 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Belarus?
- Armed forces personnel in Belarus was 158,000 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 Belarus?
- The highest recorded value was 192,900 in 2001.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Belarus?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,000 in 1994.
- How does Belarus rank for armed forces personnel?
- Belarus ranks 38th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Belarus?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belarus 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 — 29 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.