Armed forces personnel in Norway
Norway: Armed forces personnel was 25,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Norway, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Norway recorded 25,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.7% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Norway peaked at 51,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 16,000, in 2006.
Norway ranks 94th of 173 countries on this measure, 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 37,000 | — |
| 1989 | 43,000 | +16.2% |
| 1990 | 51,000 | +18.6% |
| 1991 | 41,000 | -19.6% |
| 1992 | 36,000 | -12.2% |
| 1993 | 32,000 | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 33,000 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 30,700 | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 30,700 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 34,300 | +11.7% |
| 1998 | 28,870 | -15.8% |
| 1999 | 31,000 | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 27,000 | -12.9% |
| 2001 | 26,700 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 26,600 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 26,600 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 25,000 | -6.0% |
| 2005 | 47,000 | +88.0% |
| 2006 | 16,000 | -66.0% |
| 2007 | 19,000 | +18.8% |
| 2008 | 19,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 26,450 | +39.2% |
| 2010 | 24,450 | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 24,450 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 25,800 | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 25,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 25,800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 24,950 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 23,950 | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 23,000 | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 23,250 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 23,000 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 25,000 | +8.7% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 25,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Norway's 25,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Norway 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +88.0% | 25,000 | 47,000 |
| 2006 | -66.0% | 47,000 | 16,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40,000 | 37,000 | 43,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 34,857 | 28,870 | 51,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,935 | 16,000 | 47,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,445 | 23,000 | 25,800 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More reference data data for Norway
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3703 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3621 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7734 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3366 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Norway?
- Armed forces personnel in Norway was 25,000 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 51,000 in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,000 in 2006.
- How does Norway rank for armed forces personnel?
- Norway ranks 94th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.