Armed forces personnel in Indonesia

Indonesia: Armed forces personnel was 676,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
676,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
9th
of 173 countries
All-time high
676,500
in 2011
All-time low
271,000
in 1993
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel in Indonesia, 1985–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1985200220201985: 278.1k1989: 285.0k1990: 283.0k1991: 278.0k1992: 283.0k1993: 271.0k1994: 280.0k1995: 460.5k1996: 485.2k1997: 484.0k1998: 499.0k1999: 499.0k2000: 492.0k2001: 492.0k2002: 492.0k2003: 497.0k2004: 582.0k2005: 582.0k2006: 582.0k2007: 582.0k2008: 582.0k2009: 582.0k2010: 582.0k2011: 676.5k2012: 676.5k2013: 676.5k2014: 676.5k2015: 675.5k2016: 675.5k2017: 676.0k2018: 675.5k2019: 676.0k2020: 676.0k

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 Indonesia is 676,000, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Indonesia peaked at 676,500 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 271,000, in 1993.

Indonesia ranks 9th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel in Indonesia, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel in Indonesia, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 278,100
1989 285,000 +2.5%
1990 283,000 -0.7%
1991 278,000 -1.8%
1992 283,000 +1.8%
1993 271,000 -4.2%
1994 280,000 +3.3%
1995 460,500 +64.5%
1996 485,200 +5.4%
1997 484,000 -0.2%
1998 499,000 +3.1%
1999 499,000 +0.0%
2000 492,000 -1.4%
2001 492,000 +0.0%
2002 492,000 +0.0%
2003 497,000 +1.0%
2004 582,000 +17.1%
2005 582,000 +0.0%
2006 582,000 +0.0%
2007 582,000 +0.0%
2008 582,000 +0.0%
2009 582,000 +0.0%
2010 582,000 +0.0%
2011 676,500 +16.2%
2012 676,500 +0.0%
2013 676,500 +0.0%
2014 676,500 +0.0%
2015 675,500 -0.1%
2016 675,500 +0.0%
2017 676,000 +0.1%
2018 675,500 -0.1%
2019 676,000 +0.1%
2020 676,000 +0.0%

Indonesia compared with similar countries

  • Indonesia's 676,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 10.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Indonesia's 676,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 4.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel in Indonesia 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.

YearChange FromTo
1995 +64.5% 280,000 460,500

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 281,550 278,100 285,000 2
1990s 382,270 271,000 499,000 10
2000s 546,500 492,000 582,000 10
2010s 666,650 582,000 676,500 10
2020s 676,000 676,000 676,000 1

Countries ranked near Indonesia

  1. 6 Pakistan 943,000 compare
  2. 7 Egypt 836,000 compare
  3. 8 Brazil 762,000 compare
  4. 10 Iran 650,000 compare
  5. 11 South Korea 569,000 compare
  6. 12 Vietnam 522,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Indonesia

All data for Indonesia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Indonesia?
Armed forces personnel in Indonesia was 676,000 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 Indonesia?
The highest recorded value was 676,500 in 2011.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Indonesia?
The lowest recorded value was 271,000 in 1993.
How does Indonesia rank for armed forces personnel?
Indonesia ranks 9th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Indonesia?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Indonesia 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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Armed forces personnel in Indonesia. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel/indonesia/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.