Armed forces personnel in Spain
Spain: Armed forces personnel was 199,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Spain, 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 Spain stood at 199,000.
The figure is down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Spain peaked at 320,000 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 196,000, in 2017.
That places Spain 32nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 298,500 | 277,000 | 320,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 249,312 | 198,000 | 282,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 226,112 | 214,700 | 251,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 205,772 | 196,000 | 223,216 | 10 |
| 2020s | 199,000 | 199,000 | 199,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.1449 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.07 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0798 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.423 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.3641 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 135.02 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Spain?
- Armed forces personnel in Spain was 199,000 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 320,000 in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 196,000 in 2017.
- How does Spain rank for armed forces personnel?
- Spain ranks 32nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.