Armed forces personnel in Sweden
Sweden: Armed forces personnel was 15,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Sweden, 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 Sweden stood at 15,000. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Sweden peaked at 99,600 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 15,000, in 2019.
Sweden ranks 117th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 65,700 | — |
| 1989 | 62,000 | -5.6% |
| 1990 | 65,000 | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 63,000 | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 70,000 | +11.1% |
| 1993 | 70,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 70,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 99,600 | +42.3% |
| 1996 | 98,200 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 88,950 | -9.4% |
| 1998 | 88,700 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 88,700 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 88,300 | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 69,500 | -21.3% |
| 2002 | 69,500 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 63,200 | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 27,600 | -56.3% |
| 2005 | 28,600 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 24,600 | -14.0% |
| 2007 | 17,600 | -28.5% |
| 2008 | 17,600 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 21,870 | +24.3% |
| 2010 | 21,163 | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 21,300 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 16,100 | -24.4% |
| 2013 | 16,100 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 30,550 | +89.8% |
| 2015 | 30,550 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 30,550 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 30,000 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 15,150 | -49.5% |
| 2019 | 15,000 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 15,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 25,000, 60% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 15,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26,500, 57% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +89.8% | 16,100 | 30,550 |
| 2004 | -56.3% | 63,200 | 27,600 |
| 2018 | -49.5% | 30,000 | 15,150 |
| 1995 | +42.3% | 70,000 | 99,600 |
| 2007 | -28.5% | 24,600 | 17,600 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63,850 | 62,000 | 65,700 | 2 |
| 1990s | 80,215 | 63,000 | 99,600 | 10 |
| 2000s | 42,837 | 17,600 | 88,300 | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,646 | 15,000 | 30,550 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More reference data data for Sweden
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2237 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9766 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Sweden?
- Armed forces personnel in Sweden was 15,000 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 99,600 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,000 in 2019.
- How does Sweden rank for armed forces personnel?
- Sweden ranks 117th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden 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.