Armed forces personnel in Kuwait
Kuwait: Armed forces personnel was 25,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Kuwait, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 25,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Kuwait peaked at 25,000 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 7,000, in 1990.
That places Kuwait 94th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 12,000 | — |
| 1989 | 20,000 | +66.7% |
| 1990 | 7,000 | -65.0% |
| 1991 | 10,000 | +42.9% |
| 1992 | 12,000 | +20.0% |
| 1993 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 15,000 | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 21,600 | +44.0% |
| 1996 | 20,800 | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 20,300 | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 20,300 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 20,300 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 20,300 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 20,500 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 22,100 | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 22,100 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 21,000 | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 23,000 | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 22,600 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 22,600 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 25,000 | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 24,500 | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 25,000 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 25,000 | +0.0% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 25,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 25,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 31% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Kuwait 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 | +66.7% | 12,000 | 20,000 |
| 1990 | -65.0% | 20,000 | 7,000 |
| 1995 | +44.0% | 15,000 | 21,600 |
| 1991 | +42.9% | 7,000 | 10,000 |
| 1994 | +25.0% | 12,000 | 15,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16,000 | 12,000 | 20,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 15,930 | 7,000 | 21,600 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,060 | 20,300 | 23,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,270 | 22,600 | 25,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More reference data data for Kuwait
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.092 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2888 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0052 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Kuwait?
- Armed forces personnel in Kuwait was 25,000 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 25,000 in 2017.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,000 in 1990.
- How does Kuwait rank for armed forces personnel?
- Kuwait ranks 94th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.