Armed forces personnel in Brunei
Brunei: Armed forces personnel was 8,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Brunei, 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 Brunei stood at 8,000.
That represents a change of down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Brunei peaked at 12,100 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4,000, in 1989.
That places Brunei 140th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,050 | 4,000 | 4,100 | 2 |
| 1990s | 6,595 | 4,000 | 9,100 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,715 | 8,800 | 11,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,180 | 8,000 | 12,100 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Brunei
More reference data data for Brunei
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2249 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5399 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.2563 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2101 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.3438 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 106.12 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 0 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Brunei?
- Armed forces personnel in Brunei was 8,000 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 Brunei?
- The highest recorded value was 12,100 in 2016.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Brunei?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 in 1989.
- How does Brunei rank for armed forces personnel?
- Brunei ranks 140th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Brunei?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brunei 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 — 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.