Armed forces personnel in Lithuania
Lithuania: Armed forces personnel was 37,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Lithuania, 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 Lithuania is 37,000, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 46.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Lithuania peaked at 39,550 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 8,900, in 1995.
That places Lithuania 82nd 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 Lithuania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 10,000 | — |
| 1993 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8,900 | -11.0% |
| 1996 | 9,900 | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 10,050 | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 15,030 | +49.6% |
| 1999 | 16,030 | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 16,600 | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 17,200 | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 27,300 | +58.7% |
| 2003 | 27,300 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 28,000 | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 29,000 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 24,000 | -17.2% |
| 2007 | 24,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 24,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 25,240 | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 25,240 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23,350 | -7.5% |
| 2012 | 23,350 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 21,950 | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 27,400 | +24.8% |
| 2015 | 28,330 | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 29,650 | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 34,000 | +14.7% |
| 2018 | 39,550 | +16.3% |
| 2019 | 37,000 | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 37,000 | +0.0% |
Lithuania compared with similar countries
- Lithuania's 37,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 1.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Lithuania's 37,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Lithuania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +58.7% | 17,200 | 27,300 |
| 1998 | +49.6% | 10,050 | 15,030 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11,239 | 8,900 | 16,030 | 8 |
| 2000s | 24,264 | 16,600 | 29,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 28,982 | 21,950 | 39,550 | 10 |
| 2020s | 37,000 | 37,000 | 37,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lithuania
More reference data data for Lithuania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2893 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1106 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1208 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9699 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6729 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5859 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6578 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Lithuania?
- Armed forces personnel in Lithuania was 37,000 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 Lithuania?
- The highest recorded value was 39,550 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Lithuania?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,900 in 1995.
- How does Lithuania rank for armed forces personnel?
- Lithuania ranks 82nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Lithuania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lithuania 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.