Military personnel in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Military personnel was 163,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
163,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
31st
of 194 countries
All-time high
163,000 people
in 2020
All-time low
47,000 people
in 1972
Years of data
51
1972–2022
Military personnel in Bangladesh, 1972–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 163,000 people for military personnel in 2022. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Bangladesh peaked at 163,000 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 47,000 people, in 1972.
That places Bangladesh 31st out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Military personnel in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 47,000 people | — |
| 1973 | 86,000 people | +83.0% |
| 1974 | 100,000 people | +16.3% |
| 1975 | 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 126,000 people | +26.0% |
| 1977 | 126,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 129,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 120,000 people | -7.0% |
| 1980 | 71,000 people | -40.8% |
| 1981 | 77,000 people | +8.5% |
| 1982 | 77,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 77,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 81,000 people | +5.2% |
| 1985 | 91,000 people | +12.3% |
| 1986 | 91,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 102,000 people | +12.1% |
| 1988 | 102,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 103,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 103,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 107,000 people | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 107,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 107,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 113,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1995 | 115,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 113,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 110,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 110,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 110,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 137,000 people | +24.5% |
| 2001 | 137,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 137,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 126,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 126,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 126,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 126,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 127,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 150,000 people | +18.1% |
| 2009 | 157,000 people | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 157,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 163,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 163,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 163,000 people | +0.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 163,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 10.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 163,000 people is above the median for South Asia, which is 130,000 people, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 104,250 people | 47,000 people | 129,000 people | 8 |
| 1980s | 87,200 people | 71,000 people | 103,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 109,500 people | 103,000 people | 115,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 134,900 people | 126,000 people | 157,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 157,000 people | 157,000 people | 157,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 163,000 people | 163,000 people | 163,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More reference data data for Bangladesh
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 105.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Bangladesh?
- Military personnel in Bangladesh was 163,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 163,000 people in 2020.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 47,000 people in 1972.
- How does Bangladesh rank for military personnel?
- Bangladesh ranks 31st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.