Armed forces personnel in Croatia
Croatia: Armed forces personnel was 20,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Croatia, 1992–2020
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 Croatia stood at 20,000.
That represents a change of up 11.1% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Croatia peaked at 150,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 18,000, in 2017.
Croatia ranks 106th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Croatia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 103,000 | — |
| 1993 | 80,000 | -22.3% |
| 1994 | 70,000 | -12.5% |
| 1995 | 150,000 | +114.3% |
| 1996 | 104,700 | -30.2% |
| 1997 | 98,000 | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 96,180 | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 101,000 | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 101,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 68,300 | -32.4% |
| 2002 | 61,000 | -10.7% |
| 2003 | 30,800 | -49.5% |
| 2004 | 30,000 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 31,000 | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 21,000 | -32.3% |
| 2007 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 22,000 | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 21,600 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 21,600 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 21,600 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 19,550 | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 19,550 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19,550 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 18,550 | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 18,550 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 18,000 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 18,200 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 18,000 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 20,000 | +11.1% |
Croatia compared with similar countries
- Croatia's 20,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 80% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Croatia's 20,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 75% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Croatia 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 | +114.3% | 70,000 | 150,000 |
| 2003 | -49.5% | 61,000 | 30,800 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 100,360 | 70,000 | 150,000 | 8 |
| 2000s | 40,770 | 21,000 | 101,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19,315 | 18,000 | 21,600 | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Croatia
- 104 Kyrgyzstan 21,000 compare
- 104 Mauritania 21,000 compare
- 106 Switzerland 20,000 compare
- 108 Bahrain 19,000 compare
- 108 Senegal 19,000 compare
More reference data data for Croatia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2598 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1516 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1326 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8711 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5399 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6476 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7218 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Croatia?
- Armed forces personnel in Croatia was 20,000 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 Croatia?
- The highest recorded value was 150,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Croatia?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,000 in 2017.
- How does Croatia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Croatia ranks 106th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Croatia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Croatia 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.