Armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan: Armed forces personnel was 21,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan, 1992–2020
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 Kyrgyzstan is 21,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan peaked at 21,000 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 7,000, in 1995.
That places Kyrgyzstan 104th 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 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 12,000 | — |
| 1993 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 13,000 | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 7,000 | -46.2% |
| 1996 | 12,000 | +71.4% |
| 1997 | 14,200 | +18.3% |
| 1998 | 14,200 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 12,200 | -14.1% |
| 2000 | 14,000 | +14.8% |
| 2001 | 14,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 15,900 | +13.6% |
| 2003 | 15,900 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17,000 | +6.9% |
| 2005 | 18,000 | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 21,000 | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20,400 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,400 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21,000 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 20,900 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 21,000 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
Kyrgyzstan compared with similar countries
- Kyrgyzstan's 21,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 91% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kyrgyzstan's 21,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +71.4% | 7,000 | 12,000 |
| 1995 | -46.2% | 13,000 | 7,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12,075 | 7,000 | 14,200 | 8 |
| 2000s | 17,820 | 14,000 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 20,570 | 20,400 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 21,000 | 21,000 | 21,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kyrgyzstan
- 104 Mauritania 21,000 compare
- 106 Croatia 20,000 compare
- 106 Switzerland 20,000 compare
More reference data data for Kyrgyzstan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2833 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0857 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.8535 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4667 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan?
- Armed forces personnel in Kyrgyzstan was 21,000 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 Kyrgyzstan?
- The highest recorded value was 21,000 in 2006.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Kyrgyzstan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,000 in 1995.
- How does Kyrgyzstan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Kyrgyzstan ranks 104th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kyrgyzstan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kyrgyzstan 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 — 29 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.