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.
Armed forces personnel in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 66,200 | — |
| 1989 | 91,000 | +37.5% |
| 1990 | 110,000 | +20.9% |
| 1991 | 110,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 139,000 | +26.4% |
| 1993 | 139,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 146,000 | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 233,400 | +59.9% |
| 1996 | 233,300 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 233,300 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 233,300 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 231,000 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 247,000 | +6.9% |
| 2001 | 262,600 | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 262,600 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 304,600 | +16.0% |
| 2004 | 336,000 | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 336,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 398,000 | +18.5% |
| 2007 | 411,000 | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 411,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 441,828 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 441,828 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 440,224 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 440,224 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 455,750 | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 455,750 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 481,100 | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 481,100 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 481,000 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 481,200 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 481,000 | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 428,000 | -11.0% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 428,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 6.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 428,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 15.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Colombia 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 | +59.9% | 146,000 | 233,400 |
| 1989 | +37.5% | 66,200 | 91,000 |
| 1992 | +26.4% | 110,000 | 139,000 |
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4113 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 9.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 61.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 94.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
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.
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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.