Armed forces personnel in Pakistan
Pakistan: Armed forces personnel was 943,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Pakistan, 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 Pakistan stood at 943,000.
That represents a change of down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Pakistan peaked at 947,800 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 482,800, in 1985.
Pakistan ranks 6th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 482,800 | — |
| 1989 | 520,000 | +7.7% |
| 1990 | 550,000 | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 565,000 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 580,000 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 580,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 580,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 846,000 | +45.9% |
| 1996 | 835,000 | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 834,000 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 834,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 834,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 900,000 | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 908,000 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 909,000 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 909,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 921,000 | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 921,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 923,000 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 921,000 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 921,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 921,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 946,000 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 946,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 947,800 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 947,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 925,800 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 935,800 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 935,800 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 936,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 944,800 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 943,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 943,000 | +0.0% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 943,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 41.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 943,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 11.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +45.9% | 580,000 | 846,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 501,400 | 482,800 | 520,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 703,800 | 550,000 | 846,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 915,400 | 900,000 | 923,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 940,880 | 925,800 | 947,800 | 10 |
| 2020s | 943,000 | 943,000 | 943,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More reference data data for Pakistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 61.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 61.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.3 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 91.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 260 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.79 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Pakistan?
- Armed forces personnel in Pakistan was 943,000 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 947,800 in 2012.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 482,800 in 1985.
- How does Pakistan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Pakistan ranks 6th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.