Armed forces personnel in Latvia
Latvia: Armed forces personnel was 9,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Latvia, 1992–2020
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 Latvia stood at 9,000.
The figure is up 50.0% on the previous year and up 95.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Latvia peaked at 17,000 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4,600, in 2010.
Latvia ranks 136th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Latvia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 5,000 | — |
| 1993 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6,000 | +20.0% |
| 1995 | 11,300 | +88.3% |
| 1996 | 12,300 | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 8,100 | -34.1% |
| 1998 | 8,680 | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 9,450 | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 8,500 | -10.1% |
| 2001 | 10,000 | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 8,700 | -13.0% |
| 2003 | 8,100 | -6.9% |
| 2004 | 5,000 | -38.3% |
| 2005 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 17,000 | +240.0% |
| 2007 | 17,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5,000 | -70.6% |
| 2009 | 5,745 | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 4,600 | -19.9% |
| 2011 | 5,350 | +16.3% |
| 2012 | 5,310 | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 5,310 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5,310 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5,310 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5,310 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6,000 | +13.0% |
| 2018 | 6,900 | +15.0% |
| 2019 | 6,000 | -13.0% |
| 2020 | 9,000 | +50.0% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 9,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 36% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 9,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 34% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Latvia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +240.0% | 5,000 | 17,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8,229 | 5,000 | 12,300 | 8 |
| 2000s | 9,004 | 5,000 | 17,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,540 | 4,600 | 6,900 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,000 | 9,000 | 9,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More reference data data for Latvia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.128 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0503 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.4657 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0673 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.4657 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2986 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2679 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3666 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Latvia?
- Armed forces personnel in Latvia was 9,000 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 Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 17,000 in 2006.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,600 in 2010.
- How does Latvia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Latvia ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 95.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latvia 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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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.