Armed forces personnel in Denmark
Denmark: Armed forces personnel was 15,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Denmark, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 15,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Denmark peaked at 33,100 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 14,500, in 2018.
That places Denmark 117th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Denmark, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 29,600 | — |
| 1989 | 31,000 | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 31,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 30,000 | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 28,000 | -6.7% |
| 1993 | 27,000 | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 28,000 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 33,100 | +18.2% |
| 1996 | 32,900 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 32,900 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 32,100 | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 27,000 | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 21,800 | -19.3% |
| 2001 | 21,400 | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 22,700 | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 22,800 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 21,000 | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 30,000 | +42.9% |
| 2007 | 30,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 30,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18,707 | -37.6% |
| 2010 | 18,628 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 16,450 | -11.7% |
| 2012 | 17,200 | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 17,200 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 17,200 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16,600 | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 16,100 | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 15,000 | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 14,500 | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 15,000 | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 15,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 60% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 15,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 57% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Denmark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +42.9% | 21,000 | 30,000 |
| 2009 | -37.6% | 30,000 | 18,707 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30,300 | 29,600 | 31,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 30,200 | 27,000 | 33,100 | 10 |
| 2000s | 23,941 | 18,707 | 30,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,388 | 14,500 | 18,628 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More reference data data for Denmark
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1915 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4109 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Denmark?
- Armed forces personnel in Denmark was 15,000 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 33,100 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,500 in 2018.
- How does Denmark rank for armed forces personnel?
- Denmark ranks 117th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.