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.
Armed forces personnel in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 320,000 | — |
| 1989 | 277,000 | -13.4% |
| 1990 | 263,000 | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 246,000 | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 198,000 | -19.5% |
| 1993 | 204,000 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 213,000 | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 281,600 | +32.2% |
| 1996 | 282,300 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 273,250 | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 269,710 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 262,260 | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 241,800 | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 214,700 | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 251,200 | +17.0% |
| 2003 | 224,000 | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 220,000 | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 220,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 222,000 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 222,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 223,000 | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 222,422 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 223,216 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 215,700 | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 215,600 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 213,950 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 200,000 | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 199,950 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 197,950 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 196,000 | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 196,350 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 199,000 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 199,000 | +0.0% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 199,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 8.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Spain's 199,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 7.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Spain 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 | +32.2% | 213,000 | 281,600 |
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
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
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.
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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.