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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies -1.33 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7222 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0679 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.1686 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.2 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 151.75 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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.
Download this data
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.