Armed forces personnel in Myanmar
Myanmar: Armed forces personnel was 463,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Myanmar, 1985–2020
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 Myanmar stood at 463,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.7% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Myanmar peaked at 595,000 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 186,000, in 1985.
That places Myanmar 14th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 186,000 | — |
| 1989 | 200,000 | +7.5% |
| 1990 | 230,000 | +15.0% |
| 1991 | 286,000 | +24.3% |
| 1992 | 286,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 322,000 | +12.6% |
| 1994 | 322,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 371,300 | +15.3% |
| 1996 | 406,300 | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 429,050 | +5.6% |
| 1998 | 434,850 | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 429,050 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 429,100 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 444,300 | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 544,300 | +22.5% |
| 2003 | 595,000 | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 482,250 | -18.9% |
| 2005 | 483,000 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 513,000 | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 513,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 513,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 513,250 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 513,000 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 513,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 513,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 463,000 | -9.7% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 463,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 20.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 463,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 3.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 193,000 | 186,000 | 200,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 351,655 | 230,000 | 434,850 | 10 |
| 2000s | 503,020 | 429,100 | 595,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 513,175 | 513,000 | 513,250 | 10 |
| 2020s | 463,000 | 463,000 | 463,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More reference data data for Myanmar
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 25.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 73.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.8 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Myanmar?
- Armed forces personnel in Myanmar was 463,000 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 Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 595,000 in 2003.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 186,000 in 1985.
- How does Myanmar rank for armed forces personnel?
- Myanmar ranks 14th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 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.