Armed forces personnel in South Korea
South Korea: Armed forces personnel was 569,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in South Korea, 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 South Korea is 569,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in South Korea peaked at 750,000 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 569,000, in 2020.
That places South Korea 11th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 598,000 | — |
| 1989 | 647,000 | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 650,000 | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 750,000 | +15.4% |
| 1992 | 750,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 750,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 750,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 641,000 | -14.5% |
| 1996 | 668,000 | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 676,500 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 676,500 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 676,500 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 687,500 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 687,500 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 690,500 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 690,500 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 696,000 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 693,000 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 692,000 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 692,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 692,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 659,500 | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 659,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 659,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 659,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 659,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 632,500 | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 634,500 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 634,000 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 634,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 608,000 | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 613,000 | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 569,000 | -7.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 569,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 22.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 569,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 3.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 622,500 | 598,000 | 647,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 698,850 | 641,000 | 750,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 688,050 | 659,500 | 696,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 639,400 | 608,000 | 659,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 569,000 | 569,000 | 569,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in South Korea?
- Armed forces personnel in South Korea was 569,000 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 750,000 in 1991.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 569,000 in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for armed forces personnel?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.