Armed forces personnel in Romania
Romania: Armed forces personnel was 128,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Romania, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Romania recorded 128,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Romania peaked at 307,500 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 126,000, in 1990.
Romania ranks 48th 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 Romania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 189,500 | — |
| 1989 | 207,000 | +9.2% |
| 1990 | 126,000 | -39.1% |
| 1991 | 201,000 | +59.5% |
| 1992 | 172,000 | -14.4% |
| 1993 | 200,000 | +16.3% |
| 1994 | 200,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 296,500 | +48.2% |
| 1996 | 307,500 | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 306,050 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 295,550 | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 282,900 | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 282,900 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 178,900 | -36.8% |
| 2002 | 179,100 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 177,100 | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 176,000 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 177,000 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 154,000 | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 153,000 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 153,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 151,645 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 153,800 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 151,300 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 151,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 151,300 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 151,300 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 150,400 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 149,200 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 126,000 | -15.5% |
| 2018 | 126,600 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 126,000 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 128,000 | +1.6% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 128,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 5.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Romania's 128,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Romania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +59.5% | 126,000 | 201,000 |
| 1995 | +48.2% | 200,000 | 296,500 |
| 1990 | -39.1% | 207,000 | 126,000 |
| 2001 | -36.8% | 282,900 | 178,900 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 198,250 | 189,500 | 207,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 238,750 | 126,000 | 307,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 178,264 | 151,645 | 282,900 | 10 |
| 2010s | 143,720 | 126,000 | 153,800 | 10 |
| 2020s | 128,000 | 128,000 | 128,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More reference data data for Romania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.689 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.59 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.04 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 3.75 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Romania?
- Armed forces personnel in Romania was 128,000 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 Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 307,500 in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 126,000 in 1990.
- How does Romania rank for armed forces personnel?
- Romania ranks 48th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Romania 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.