Armed forces personnel in Philippines
Philippines: Armed forces personnel was 157,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Philippines, 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 Philippines stood at 157,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Philippines peaked at 165,500 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 104,000, in 1994.
Philippines ranks 40th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 114,800 | — |
| 1989 | 112,000 | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 109,000 | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 107,000 | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 104,000 | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 149,000 | +43.3% |
| 1996 | 150,000 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 153,000 | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 160,300 | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 152,500 | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 148,500 | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 151,000 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 150,000 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 150,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 146,000 | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 147,000 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 147,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 165,500 | +12.6% |
| 2010 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 165,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 153,000 | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 153,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 155,000 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 157,000 | +1.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 157,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 157,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Philippines 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 | +43.3% | 104,000 | 149,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 113,400 | 112,000 | 114,800 | 2 |
| 1990s | 129,880 | 104,000 | 160,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 149,900 | 146,000 | 165,500 | 10 |
| 2010s | 161,985 | 153,000 | 165,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 157,000 | 157,000 | 157,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More reference data data for Philippines
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 12.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 7.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 10.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 67.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.76 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Philippines?
- Armed forces personnel in Philippines was 157,000 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 165,500 in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 104,000 in 1994.
- How does Philippines rank for armed forces personnel?
- Philippines ranks 40th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Philippines 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.