Armed forces personnel in Colombia
Colombia: Armed forces personnel was 428,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Colombia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Colombia recorded 428,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 11.0% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Colombia peaked at 481,200 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 66,200, in 1985.
That places Colombia 17th 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 | 78,600 | 66,200 | 91,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 180,830 | 110,000 | 233,400 | 10 |
| 2000s | 341,063 | 247,000 | 441,828 | 10 |
| 2010s | 463,918 | 440,224 | 481,200 | 10 |
| 2020s | 428,000 | 428,000 | 428,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More reference data data for Colombia
- Spring temperature anomalies 1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0438 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5992 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8514 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 206.38 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 Colombia?
- Armed forces personnel in Colombia was 428,000 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 481,200 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 66,200 in 1985.
- How does Colombia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Colombia ranks 17th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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.