Armed forces personnel in Ukraine
Ukraine: Armed forces personnel was 298,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Ukraine, 1992–2020
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 Ukraine stood at 298,000.
That represents a change of down 4.2% on the previous year and up 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Ukraine peaked at 518,500 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 121,500, in 2013.
Ukraine ranks 24th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 434,512 | 350,000 | 518,500 | 8 |
| 2000s | 306,182 | 214,825 | 420,400 | 10 |
| 2010s | 242,302 | 121,500 | 311,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 298,000 | 298,000 | 298,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ukraine
More reference data data for Ukraine
- Spring temperature anomalies 3.58 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7067 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.52 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.29 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 515.28 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 Ukraine?
- Armed forces personnel in Ukraine was 298,000 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 Ukraine?
- The highest recorded value was 518,500 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Ukraine?
- The lowest recorded value was 121,500 in 2013.
- How does Ukraine rank for armed forces personnel?
- Ukraine ranks 24th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Ukraine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ukraine 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 — 29 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.