Armed forces personnel in Yemen
Yemen: Armed forces personnel was 40,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Yemen, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Yemen recorded 40,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 71.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Yemen peaked at 146,300 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 20,000, in 2014.
Yemen ranks 81st of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Yemen, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 64,100 | — |
| 1989 | 62,000 | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 127,000 | +104.8% |
| 1991 | 127,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 64,000 | -49.6% |
| 1993 | 64,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 69,000 | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 69,500 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 112,000 | +61.2% |
| 1997 | 146,300 | +30.6% |
| 1998 | 136,300 | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 136,300 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 136,300 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 124,000 | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 136,500 | +10.1% |
| 2003 | 136,700 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 136,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 138,000 | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 138,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 137,900 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 137,900 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20,000 | -85.5% |
| 2015 | 20,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 40,000 | +100.0% |
| 2018 | 20,000 | -50.0% |
| 2019 | 40,000 | +100.0% |
| 2020 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 40,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 40,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Yemen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +104.8% | 62,000 | 127,000 |
| 2017 | +100.0% | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 2019 | +100.0% | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 2014 | -85.5% | 137,900 | 20,000 |
| 1996 | +61.2% | 69,500 | 112,000 |
| 2018 | -50.0% | 40,000 | 20,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 63,050 | 62,000 | 64,100 | 2 |
| 1990s | 105,140 | 64,000 | 146,300 | 10 |
| 2000s | 135,940 | 124,000 | 138,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71,160 | 20,000 | 137,900 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More reference data data for Yemen
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5619 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2189 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4503 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Yemen?
- Armed forces personnel in Yemen was 40,000 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 146,300 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,000 in 2014.
- How does Yemen rank for armed forces personnel?
- Yemen ranks 81st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 71.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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.