Armed forces personnel in Moldova

Moldova: Armed forces personnel was 6,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
6,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
145th
of 173 countries
All-time high
15,300
in 1995
All-time low
6,000
in 2019
Years of data
29
1992–2020

Armed forces personnel in Moldova, 1992–2020

05.0k10.0k15.0k1992200620201992: 9.0k1993: 13.0k1994: 11.0k1995: 15.3k1996: 15.3k1997: 14.4k1998: 14.4k1999: 14.1k2000: 12.9k2001: 11.6k2002: 10.6k2003: 10.3k2004: 9.0k2005: 10.0k2006: 8.0k2007: 9.0k2008: 8.0k2009: 7.7k2010: 7.7k2011: 7.8k2012: 7.8k2013: 7.8k2014: 7.8k2015: 7.5k2016: 7.5k2017: 7.0k2018: 6.2k2019: 6.0k2020: 6.0k

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 Moldova stood at 6,000. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.

The figure is down 22.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Moldova peaked at 15,300 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 6,000, in 2019.

That places Moldova 145th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 13,316 9,000 15,300 8
2000s 9,713 7,733 12,900 10
2010s 7,298 6,000 7,750 10
2020s 6,000 6,000 6,000 1

Countries ranked near Moldova

  1. 142 Estonia 7,000 compare
  2. 142 Gabon 7,000 compare
  3. 142 Slovenia 7,000 compare
  4. 145 Bhutan 6,000 compare
  5. 145 Jamaica 6,000 compare
  6. 148 Trinidad and Tobago 5,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Moldova

All data for Moldova →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Moldova?
Armed forces personnel in Moldova was 6,000 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 Moldova?
The highest recorded value was 15,300 in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Moldova?
The lowest recorded value was 6,000 in 2019.
How does Moldova rank for armed forces personnel?
Moldova ranks 145th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Moldova?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Moldova 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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.