Armed forces personnel in France
France: Armed forces personnel was 304,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in France, 1985–2020
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 France stood at 304,000. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in France peaked at 554,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 304,000, in 2019.
France ranks 23rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 509,150 | 464,300 | 554,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 495,660 | 411,600 | 550,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 360,497 | 341,967 | 389,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 315,882 | 304,000 | 341,967 | 10 |
| 2020s | 304,000 | 304,000 | 304,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5862 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.1356 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.3048 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.2 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 127.7 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 France?
- Armed forces personnel in France was 304,000 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 554,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 304,000 in 2019.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel?
- France ranks 23rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.