Armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel was 282,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia stood at 282,000. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia peaked at 282,000 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 62,500, in 1985.
That places Saudi Arabia 25th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 62,500 | — |
| 1989 | 82,000 | +31.2% |
| 1990 | 146,000 | +78.0% |
| 1991 | 191,000 | +30.8% |
| 1992 | 172,000 | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 172,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 164,000 | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 177,500 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 178,500 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 178,000 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 178,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 178,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 217,000 | +21.9% |
| 2001 | 217,200 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 215,000 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 215,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 214,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 216,000 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 240,000 | +11.1% |
| 2007 | 238,000 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 238,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 249,000 | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 249,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 251,500 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 251,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 252,000 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 252,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 252,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 282,000 | +11.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 282,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 11.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 282,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 3.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +78.0% | 82,000 | 146,000 |
| 1989 | +31.2% | 62,500 | 82,000 |
| 1991 | +30.8% | 146,000 | 191,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72,250 | 62,500 | 82,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 173,500 | 146,000 | 191,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 225,920 | 214,000 | 249,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 250,900 | 249,000 | 252,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 282,000 | 282,000 | 282,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia?
- Armed forces personnel in Saudi Arabia was 282,000 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 282,000 in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 62,500 in 1985.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 25th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.