Armed forces personnel in Cambodia

Cambodia: Armed forces personnel was 191,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
191,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
360,500
in 1997
All-time low
35,000
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel in Cambodia, 1985–2020

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1985200220201985: 35.0k1989: 99.0k1990: 112.0k1991: 112.0k1992: 135.0k1993: 102.0k1994: 70.0k1995: 308.5k1996: 307.7k1997: 360.5k1998: 359.0k1999: 359.0k2000: 360.0k2001: 207.0k2002: 192.0k2003: 192.0k2004: 192.0k2005: 191.0k2006: 191.0k2007: 191.0k2008: 191.0k2009: 191.3k2010: 191.3k2011: 191.3k2012: 191.3k2013: 191.3k2014: 191.3k2015: 191.3k2016: 191.3k2017: 191.0k2018: 191.3k2019: 191.0k2020: 191.0k

Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Cambodia recorded 191,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Cambodia peaked at 360,500 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 35,000, in 1985.

That places Cambodia 33rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 67,000 35,000 99,000 2
1990s 222,570 70,000 360,500 10
2000s 209,830 191,000 360,000 10
2010s 191,240 191,000 191,300 10
2020s 191,000 191,000 191,000 1

Countries ranked near Cambodia

  1. 30 Nigeria 223,000 compare
  2. 31 Eritrea 202,000 compare
  3. 32 Spain 199,000 compare
  4. 34 Poland 189,000 compare
  5. 35 Germany 183,000 compare
  6. 36 Israel 178,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Cambodia

All data for Cambodia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Cambodia?
Armed forces personnel in Cambodia was 191,000 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 Cambodia?
The highest recorded value was 360,500 in 1997.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Cambodia?
The lowest recorded value was 35,000 in 1985.
How does Cambodia rank for armed forces personnel?
Cambodia ranks 33rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Cambodia?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cambodia 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

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.