Armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: Armed forces personnel was 71,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan, 1993–2020
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 Kazakhstan stood at 71,000.
The figure is down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan peaked at 101,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 15,000, in 1993.
Kazakhstan ranks 59th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 15,000 | — |
| 1994 | 18,000 | +20.0% |
| 1995 | 74,500 | +313.9% |
| 1996 | 74,500 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 69,600 | -6.6% |
| 1998 | 89,600 | +28.7% |
| 1999 | 100,300 | +11.9% |
| 2000 | 98,500 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 98,500 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 94,500 | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 100,300 | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 99,000 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 101,000 | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 81,000 | -19.8% |
| 2007 | 81,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 81,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 80,500 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 80,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 70,500 | -12.4% |
| 2012 | 70,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 70,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 70,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 70,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 70,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 71,000 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 71,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 71,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 71,000 | +0.0% |
Kazakhstan compared with similar countries
- Kazakhstan's 71,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Kazakhstan's 71,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan 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 | +313.9% | 18,000 | 74,500 |
| 1998 | +28.7% | 69,600 | 89,600 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63,071 | 15,000 | 100,300 | 7 |
| 2000s | 91,530 | 80,500 | 101,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71,650 | 70,500 | 80,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 71,000 | 71,000 | 71,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kazakhstan
More reference data data for Kazakhstan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.3 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8607 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 25.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan?
- Armed forces personnel in Kazakhstan was 71,000 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 Kazakhstan?
- The highest recorded value was 101,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Kazakhstan?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,000 in 1993.
- How does Kazakhstan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Kazakhstan ranks 59th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kazakhstan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kazakhstan 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 — 28 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.