Armed forces personnel in Netherlands
Netherlands: Armed forces personnel was 41,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 41,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Netherlands peaked at 106,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41,000, in 2007.
That places Netherlands 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 105,500 | — |
| 1989 | 106,000 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 104,000 | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 104,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 90,000 | -13.5% |
| 1993 | 86,000 | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 77,000 | -10.5% |
| 1995 | 78,000 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 66,700 | -14.5% |
| 1997 | 60,800 | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 60,780 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 60,000 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 57,100 | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 55,600 | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 52,900 | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 59,900 | +13.2% |
| 2004 | 53,000 | -11.5% |
| 2005 | 60,000 | +13.2% |
| 2006 | 46,000 | -23.3% |
| 2007 | 41,000 | -10.9% |
| 2008 | 47,000 | +14.6% |
| 2009 | 43,279 | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 43,279 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 43,300 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 43,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 43,300 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 41,900 | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 41,310 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 41,310 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 41,000 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 41,410 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 41,000 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 41,000 | +0.0% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 41,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 1.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 41,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 105,750 | 105,500 | 106,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 78,728 | 60,000 | 104,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 51,578 | 41,000 | 60,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 42,111 | 41,000 | 43,300 | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,000 | 41,000 | 41,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More reference data data for Netherlands
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5851 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.79 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6002 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Netherlands?
- Armed forces personnel in Netherlands was 41,000 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 106,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 41,000 in 2007.
- How does Netherlands rank for armed forces personnel?
- Netherlands ranks 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.