Armed forces personnel in Iran
Iran: Armed forces personnel was 650,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Iran, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iran recorded 650,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
The figure is up 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Iran peaked at 868,000 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 440,000, in 1990.
Iran ranks 10th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 610,000 | — |
| 1989 | 604,000 | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 440,000 | -27.2% |
| 1991 | 465,000 | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 528,000 | +13.5% |
| 1993 | 528,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 528,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 763,000 | +44.5% |
| 1996 | 863,000 | +13.1% |
| 1997 | 868,000 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 820,000 | -5.5% |
| 1999 | 785,600 | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 753,000 | -4.1% |
| 2001 | 553,000 | -26.6% |
| 2002 | 560,000 | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 580,000 | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 460,000 | -20.7% |
| 2005 | 585,000 | +27.2% |
| 2006 | 585,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 563,000 | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 563,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 650,000 | +15.5% |
| 2019 | 650,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 650,000 | +0.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 650,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 10.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iran's 650,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 8.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +44.5% | 528,000 | 763,000 |
| 2005 | +27.2% | 460,000 | 585,000 |
| 1990 | -27.2% | 604,000 | 440,000 |
| 2001 | -26.6% | 753,000 | 553,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 607,000 | 604,000 | 610,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 658,860 | 440,000 | 868,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 576,500 | 460,000 | 753,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 580,400 | 563,000 | 650,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 650,000 | 650,000 | 650,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 46.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 109.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Iran?
- Armed forces personnel in Iran was 650,000 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 868,000 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,000 in 1990.
- How does Iran rank for armed forces personnel?
- Iran ranks 10th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.