Armed forces personnel in Russia
Russia: Armed forces personnel was 1.45 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Russia, 1992–2020
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 Russia stood at 1.45 million.
The figure is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Russia peaked at 1.90 million in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.26 million, in 2013.
Russia ranks 4th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Russia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1.90 million | — |
| 1993 | 1.50 million | -21.1% |
| 1994 | 1.40 million | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 1.80 million | +28.6% |
| 1996 | 1.62 million | -9.9% |
| 1997 | 1.82 million | +12.4% |
| 1998 | 1.70 million | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 1.48 million | -12.9% |
| 2000 | 1.43 million | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.39 million | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 1.40 million | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 1.37 million | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.45 million | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 1.45 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.45 million | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.48 million | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 1.48 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.50 million | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 1.43 million | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 1.36 million | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 1.36 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 1.29 million | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.49 million | +15.8% |
| 2016 | 1.45 million | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.45 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.45 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.45 million | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.45 million | +0.0% |
Russia compared with similar countries
- Russia's 1.45 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 58.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Russia's 1.45 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 54.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Russia 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 | +28.6% | 1.40 million | 1.80 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.65 million | 1.40 million | 1.90 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.44 million | 1.37 million | 1.50 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.40 million | 1.26 million | 1.49 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.45 million | 1.45 million | 1.45 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Russia
More reference data data for Russia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 9.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 31.32 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 129.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 26.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Russia?
- Armed forces personnel in Russia was 1.45 million 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 Russia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.90 million in 1992.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Russia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.26 million in 2013.
- How does Russia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Russia ranks 4th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Russia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Russia 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 — 29 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.