Armed forces personnel in Belgium
Belgium: Armed forces personnel was 24,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Belgium, 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 Belgium is 24,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Belgium peaked at 110,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 24,000, in 2020.
Belgium ranks 96th 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.
Armed forces personnel in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 91,600 | — |
| 1989 | 110,000 | +20.1% |
| 1990 | 106,000 | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 101,000 | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 79,000 | -21.8% |
| 1993 | 70,000 | -11.4% |
| 1994 | 53,000 | -24.3% |
| 1995 | 47,200 | -10.9% |
| 1996 | 46,300 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 44,450 | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 43,700 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 41,750 | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 39,300 | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 39,400 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 39,200 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 40,800 | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 36,000 | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 37,000 | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 40,000 | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 39,000 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 39,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 39,482 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 35,736 | -9.5% |
| 2011 | 34,050 | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 30,700 | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 37,500 | +22.1% |
| 2014 | 37,600 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 36,350 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 33,800 | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 32,000 | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 31,500 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 26,000 | -17.5% |
| 2020 | 24,000 | -7.7% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 24,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 96% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 24,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 91% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100,800 | 91,600 | 110,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 63,240 | 41,750 | 106,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 38,918 | 36,000 | 40,800 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,524 | 26,000 | 37,600 | 10 |
| 2020s | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Belgium?
- Armed forces personnel in Belgium was 24,000 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 110,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,000 in 2020.
- How does Belgium rank for armed forces personnel?
- Belgium ranks 96th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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.