Armed forces personnel in Chile
Chile: Armed forces personnel was 114,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Chile, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Chile recorded 114,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Chile peaked at 130,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 90,000, in 1991.
That places Chile 51st out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Chile, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 101,000 | — |
| 1989 | 95,000 | -5.9% |
| 1990 | 95,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 90,000 | -5.3% |
| 1992 | 92,000 | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 92,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 102,000 | +10.9% |
| 1995 | 130,000 | +27.5% |
| 1996 | 120,900 | -7.0% |
| 1997 | 125,500 | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 124,000 | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 122,500 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 116,500 | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 122,200 | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 117,300 | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 114,100 | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 116,000 | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 116,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 103,000 | -11.2% |
| 2007 | 103,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 103,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 103,771 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 103,771 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 103,750 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 106,100 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 106,100 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 109,450 | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 109,450 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 121,900 | +11.4% |
| 2017 | 122,000 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 122,200 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 122,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 114,000 | -6.6% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 114,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 4.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Chile's 114,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 4.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Chile changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +27.5% | 102,000 | 130,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 98,000 | 95,000 | 101,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 109,390 | 90,000 | 130,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 111,487 | 103,000 | 122,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 112,672 | 103,750 | 122,200 | 10 |
| 2020s | 114,000 | 114,000 | 114,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More reference data data for Chile
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2204 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 5.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.2 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Chile?
- Armed forces personnel in Chile was 114,000 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 130,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 90,000 in 1991.
- How does Chile rank for armed forces personnel?
- Chile ranks 51st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile 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.