Armed forces personnel in Finland
Finland: Armed forces personnel was 22,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Finland, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Finland is 22,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 18.5% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Finland peaked at 39,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 22,000, in 2020.
Finland ranks 100th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37,750 | 36,500 | 39,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 33,710 | 31,000 | 36,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 31,855 | 25,050 | 35,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25,128 | 24,200 | 27,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 22,000 | 22,000 | 22,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More reference data data for Finland
- Spring temperature anomalies 5.45 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.52 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -5.24 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.9 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.54 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 Finland?
- Armed forces personnel in Finland was 22,000 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 39,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 22,000 in 2020.
- How does Finland rank for armed forces personnel?
- Finland ranks 100th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland 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.