Armed forces personnel in Germany
Germany: Armed forces personnel was 183,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Germany, 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 Germany is 183,000, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Germany peaked at 545,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 177,300, in 2015.
Germany ranks 35th 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.
Armed forces personnel in Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 478,000 | — |
| 1989 | 503,000 | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 545,000 | +8.3% |
| 1991 | 457,000 | -16.1% |
| 1992 | 442,000 | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 398,000 | -10.0% |
| 1994 | 362,000 | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 365,000 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 383,500 | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 347,100 | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 333,500 | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 331,000 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 221,100 | -33.2% |
| 2001 | 308,400 | +39.5% |
| 2002 | 296,000 | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 284,500 | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 284,000 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 285,000 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 246,000 | -13.7% |
| 2007 | 244,000 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 244,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 251,465 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 251,465 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 196,000 | -22.1% |
| 2012 | 186,450 | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 181,550 | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 178,600 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 177,300 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 179,100 | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 180,000 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 181,400 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 184,000 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 183,000 | -0.5% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 183,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 7.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Germany's 183,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 6.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Germany 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +39.5% | 221,100 | 308,400 |
| 2000 | -33.2% | 331,000 | 221,100 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 490,500 | 478,000 | 503,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 396,410 | 331,000 | 545,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 266,446 | 221,100 | 308,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 189,586 | 177,300 | 251,465 | 10 |
| 2020s | 183,000 | 183,000 | 183,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Germany?
- Armed forces personnel in Germany was 183,000 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 545,000 in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 177,300 in 2015.
- How does Germany rank for armed forces personnel?
- Germany ranks 35th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.