Armed forces personnel in Israel
Israel: Armed forces personnel was 178,000 in 2020. ▬ Flat
Armed forces personnel in Israel, 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 Israel is 178,000, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Israel peaked at 191,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 142,000, in 1985.
Israel ranks 36th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Armed forces personnel in Israel, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 142,000 | — |
| 1989 | 191,000 | +34.5% |
| 1990 | 190,000 | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 190,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 181,000 | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 181,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 185,000 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 178,100 | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 181,100 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 181,050 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 181,050 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 179,550 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 180,500 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 171,500 | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 169,500 | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 175,000 | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 176,000 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 176,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 185,000 | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 185,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 185,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 184,550 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 184,550 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 184,550 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 184,500 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 184,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 184,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 184,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 184,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 178,000 | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 177,500 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 178,000 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 178,000 | +0.0% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 178,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 7.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Israel's 178,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 2.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Israel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +34.5% | 142,000 | 191,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 166,500 | 142,000 | 191,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 182,785 | 178,100 | 190,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 178,805 | 169,500 | 185,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 182,510 | 177,500 | 184,550 | 10 |
| 2020s | 178,000 | 178,000 | 178,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Israel
More reference data data for Israel
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0882 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.719 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.719 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2959 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1891 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.104 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Israel?
- Armed forces personnel in Israel was 178,000 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 191,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 142,000 in 1985.
- How does Israel rank for armed forces personnel?
- Israel ranks 36th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Israel 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.