Armed forces personnel in Panama
Panama: Armed forces personnel was 28,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Panama, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Panama recorded 28,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 133.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Panama peaked at 28,000 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 11,000, in 1990.
Panama ranks 89th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13,000 | 12,000 | 14,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 11,500 | 11,000 | 12,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 11,911 | 11,800 | 12,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 18,410 | 12,000 | 28,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,000 | 28,000 | 28,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More reference data data for Panama
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.1111 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8502 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.029 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2956 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.1292 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 128.14 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Panama?
- Armed forces personnel in Panama was 28,000 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 28,000 in 2019.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,000 in 1990.
- How does Panama rank for armed forces personnel?
- Panama ranks 89th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is up 133.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama 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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CSV · JSON — 32 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.