Armed forces personnel in Malaysia
Malaysia: Armed forces personnel was 136,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Malaysia, 1985–2020
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 Malaysia is 136,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Malaysia peaked at 140,300 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 110,000, in 1985.
That places Malaysia 45th 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 110,000 | — |
| 1989 | 115,000 | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 130,000 | +13.0% |
| 1991 | 128,000 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 128,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 115,000 | -10.2% |
| 1994 | 115,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 140,300 | +22.0% |
| 1996 | 140,300 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 131,600 | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 130,100 | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 125,100 | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 116,100 | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 120,600 | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 120,100 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 124,100 | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 130,000 | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 135,000 | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 134,000 | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 134,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 134,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 133,600 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 133,600 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 136,000 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 136,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 136,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 136,000 | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 136,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 136,000 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 93% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 112,500 | 110,000 | 115,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 128,340 | 115,000 | 140,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 128,150 | 116,100 | 135,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 134,320 | 133,600 | 136,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136,000 | 136,000 | 136,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Malaysia?
- Armed forces personnel in Malaysia was 136,000 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 140,300 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 110,000 in 1985.
- How does Malaysia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Malaysia ranks 45th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.