Armed forces personnel in Slovakia

Slovakia: Armed forces personnel was 18,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
18,000
Change on year
up 12.5%
World rank
110th
of 173 countries
All-time high
51,000
in 1995
All-time low
15,799
in 2010
Years of data
28
1993–2020

Armed forces personnel in Slovakia, 1993–2020

20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k1993200620201993: 33.0k1994: 47.0k1995: 51.0k1996: 46.6k1997: 45.1k1998: 48.0k1999: 47.5k2000: 41.2k2001: 37.7k2002: 30.9k2003: 22.0k2004: 20.0k2005: 20.0k2006: 17.0k2007: 17.0k2008: 17.0k2009: 16.5k2010: 15.8k2011: 15.8k2012: 15.8k2013: 15.8k2014: 15.8k2015: 15.8k2016: 15.8k2017: 16.0k2018: 15.8k2019: 16.0k2020: 18.0k

Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Slovakia recorded 18,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.5% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Slovakia peaked at 51,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 15,799, in 2010.

That places Slovakia 110th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 45,469 33,000 51,000 7
2000s 23,933 16,531 41,200 10
2010s 15,875 15,799 16,000 10
2020s 18,000 18,000 18,000 1

Countries ranked near Slovakia

  1. 108 Bahrain 19,000 compare
  2. 108 Senegal 19,000 compare
  3. 110 Mongolia 18,000 compare
  4. 112 Tajikistan 17,000 compare
  5. 113 Ghana 16,000 compare
  6. 113 Namibia 16,000 compare
  7. 113 North Macedonia 16,000 compare
  8. 113 Zambia 16,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Slovakia

All data for Slovakia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Slovakia?
Armed forces personnel in Slovakia was 18,000 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 Slovakia?
The highest recorded value was 51,000 in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Slovakia?
The lowest recorded value was 15,799 in 2010.
How does Slovakia rank for armed forces personnel?
Slovakia ranks 110th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Slovakia?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Slovakia 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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.