Armed forces personnel in Bhutan
Bhutan: Armed forces personnel was 6,000 in 2000. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Bhutan, 1985–2000
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 Bhutan is 6,000, measured in 2000.
That represents a change of down 14.3% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Bhutan peaked at 7,000 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3,000, in 1985.
That places Bhutan 145th out of 173 countries with data for 2000, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3,000 | — |
| 1992 | 5,000 | +66.7% |
| 1993 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4,000 | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 5,000 | +25.0% |
| 1997 | 6,000 | +20.0% |
| 1998 | 7,000 | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6,000 | -14.3% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 6,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 26% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 6,000 is below the median for South Asia, which is 227,000, 3% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 1 |
| 1990s | 5,500 | 4,000 | 7,000 | 8 |
| 2000s | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0671 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0727 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0153 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3489 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5881 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Bhutan?
- Armed forces personnel in Bhutan was 6,000 in 2000, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7,000 in 1998.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,000 in 1985.
- How does Bhutan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Bhutan ranks 145th out of 173 countries with data for 2000.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 — 10 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.