Armed forces personnel in Moldova
Moldova: Armed forces personnel was 6,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Moldova, 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 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.
Armed forces personnel in Moldova, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 9,000 | — |
| 1993 | 13,000 | +44.4% |
| 1994 | 11,000 | -15.4% |
| 1995 | 15,300 | +39.1% |
| 1996 | 15,300 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 14,430 | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 14,450 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 14,050 | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 12,900 | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 11,600 | -10.1% |
| 2002 | 10,600 | -8.6% |
| 2003 | 10,300 | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 9,000 | -12.6% |
| 2005 | 10,000 | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 8,000 | -20.0% |
| 2007 | 9,000 | +12.5% |
| 2008 | 8,000 | -11.1% |
| 2009 | 7,733 | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 7,733 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7,750 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 7,750 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7,750 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7,750 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7,550 | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 7,550 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7,000 | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 6,150 | -12.1% |
| 2019 | 6,000 | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 6,000 | +0.0% |
Moldova compared with similar countries
- Moldova's 6,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 9% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Moldova's 6,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 23% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Moldova 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +44.4% | 9,000 | 13,000 |
| 1995 | +39.1% | 11,000 | 15,300 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Moldova
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2466 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1366 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6117 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.118 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6117 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4303 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5193 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6426 (2050)
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
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.