Armed forces personnel in Japan
Japan: Armed forces personnel was 261,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Japan, 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 Japan stood at 261,000.
That represents a change of up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Japan peaked at 272,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 233,000, in 1994.
That places Japan 27th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 243,000 | — |
| 1989 | 247,000 | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 250,000 | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 250,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 242,000 | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 242,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 233,000 | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 251,500 | +7.9% |
| 1996 | 247,500 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 247,600 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 254,600 | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 254,600 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 248,700 | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 252,100 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 252,100 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 252,100 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 251,000 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 272,000 | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 252,000 | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 242,000 | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 242,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 260,382 | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 260,382 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 260,086 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 259,800 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 259,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 259,800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 259,800 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 260,890 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 261,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 261,150 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 261,000 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 261,000 | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 261,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 10.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Japan's 261,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 1.8× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 245,000 | 243,000 | 247,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 247,280 | 233,000 | 254,600 | 10 |
| 2000s | 252,438 | 242,000 | 272,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 260,371 | 259,800 | 261,150 | 10 |
| 2020s | 261,000 | 261,000 | 261,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Japan?
- Armed forces personnel in Japan was 261,000 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 272,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 233,000 in 1994.
- How does Japan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Japan ranks 27th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.