Armed forces personnel in Italy
Italy: Armed forces personnel was 338,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Italy, 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 Italy stood at 338,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Italy peaked at 585,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 326,939, in 2009.
That places Italy 20th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 385,100 | — |
| 1989 | 506,000 | +31.4% |
| 1990 | 493,000 | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 473,000 | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 471,000 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 450,000 | -4.5% |
| 1994 | 436,000 | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 585,000 | +34.2% |
| 1996 | 580,900 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 580,900 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 554,100 | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 521,200 | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 503,100 | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 482,600 | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 471,100 | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 454,300 | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 445,000 | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 445,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 440,000 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 436,000 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 436,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 326,939 | -25.0% |
| 2010 | 359,378 | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 367,550 | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 359,500 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 359,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 356,850 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 356,850 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 356,850 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 347,000 | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 341,500 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 342,000 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 338,000 | -1.2% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 338,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 13.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Italy's 338,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 12.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Italy 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 | +34.2% | 436,000 | 585,000 |
| 1989 | +31.4% | 385,100 | 506,000 |
| 2009 | -25.0% | 436,000 | 326,939 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 445,550 | 385,100 | 506,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 514,510 | 436,000 | 585,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 444,004 | 326,939 | 503,100 | 10 |
| 2010s | 354,698 | 341,500 | 367,550 | 10 |
| 2020s | 338,000 | 338,000 | 338,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More reference data data for Italy
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Italy?
- Armed forces personnel in Italy was 338,000 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 585,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 326,939 in 2009.
- How does Italy rank for armed forces personnel?
- Italy ranks 20th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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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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.