Armed forces personnel in Brazil
Brazil: Armed forces personnel was 762,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Brazil, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 762,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Brazil peaked at 762,000 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 276,000, in 1985.
That places Brazil 8th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 297,500 | 276,000 | 319,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 491,495 | 295,000 | 700,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 696,228 | 673,000 | 754,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 729,592 | 713,480 | 762,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 762,000 | 762,000 | 762,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More reference data data for Brazil
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2659 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.0006 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0351 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3721 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.1099 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 234.41 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Brazil?
- Armed forces personnel in Brazil was 762,000 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 Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 762,000 in 2019.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 276,000 in 1985.
- How does Brazil rank for armed forces personnel?
- Brazil ranks 8th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil 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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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.