Military personnel in Brazil

Brazil: Military personnel was 367,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
367,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 194 countries
All-time high
541,000
in 1987
All-time low
12,000
in 1835
Years of data
193
1826–2022

Military personnel in Brazil, 1826–2022

0200.0k400.0k600.0k182619242022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2022, military personnel in Brazil stood at 367,000.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Brazil peaked at 541,000 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 12,000, in 1835.

That places Brazil 14th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel in Brazil, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Brazil, 1826 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1826 18,000 —
1827 18,000 +0.0%
1828 18,000 +0.0%
1829 18,000 +0.0%
1830 18,000 +0.0%
1831 18,000 +0.0%
1832 17,000 -5.6%
1833 15,000 -11.8%
1834 14,000 -6.7%
1835 12,000 -14.3%
1836 15,000 +25.0%
1837 15,000 +0.0%
1838 15,000 +0.0%
1839 15,000 +0.0%
1840 17,000 +13.3%
1841 19,000 +11.8%
1842 22,000 +15.8%
1843 24,000 +9.1%
1844 26,000 +8.3%
1845 23,000 -11.5%
1846 20,000 -13.0%
1847 20,000 +0.0%
1848 20,000 +0.0%
1849 20,000 +0.0%
1850 20,000 +0.0%
1851 20,000 +0.0%
1852 23,000 +15.0%
1853 27,000 +17.4%
1854 27,000 +0.0%
1855 27,000 +0.0%
1856 27,000 +0.0%
1857 26,000 -3.7%
1858 26,000 +0.0%
1859 26,000 +0.0%
1860 21,000 -19.2%
1861 20,000 -4.8%
1862 18,000 -10.0%
1863 17,000 -5.6%
1864 19,000 +11.8%
1865 35,000 +84.2%
1866 77,000 +120.0%
1867 74,000 -3.9%
1868 73,000 -1.4%
1869 73,000 +0.0%
1870 73,000 +0.0%
1871 30,000 -58.9%
1872 31,000 +3.3%
1873 33,000 +6.5%
1874 34,000 +3.0%
1875 24,000 -29.4%
1876 22,000 -8.3%
1877 23,000 +4.5%
1878 22,000 -4.3%
1879 21,000 -4.5%
1880 20,000 -4.8%
1881 18,000 -10.0%
1882 18,000 +0.0%
1883 20,000 +11.1%
1884 20,000 +0.0%
1885 21,000 +5.0%
1886 21,000 +0.0%
1887 21,000 +0.0%
1888 20,000 -4.8%
1889 22,000 +10.0%
1890 22,000 +0.0%
1891 39,000 +77.3%
1892 38,000 -2.6%
1893 38,000 +0.0%
1894 40,000 +5.3%
1895 32,000 -20.0%
1896 36,000 +12.5%
1897 36,000 +0.0%
1898 30,000 -16.7%
1899 23,000 -23.3%
1900 21,000 -8.7%
1901 22,000 +4.8%
1902 24,000 +9.1%
1903 24,000 +0.0%
1904 32,000 +33.3%
1905 19,000 -40.6%
1906 33,000 +73.7%
1907 22,000 -33.3%
1908 26,000 +18.2%
1909 29,000 +11.5%
1910 31,000 +6.9%
1911 31,000 +0.0%
1912 31,000 +0.0%
1913 31,000 +0.0%
1914 25,000 -19.4%
1915 25,000 +0.0%
1916 25,000 +0.0%
1917 25,000 +0.0%
1918 54,000 +116.0%
1919 64,000 +18.5%
1920 56,000 -12.5%
1921 55,000 -1.8%
1922 53,000 -3.6%
1923 54,000 +1.9%
1924 58,000 +7.4%
1925 60,000 +3.4%
1926 57,000 -5.0%
1927 52,000 -8.8%
1928 48,000 -7.7%
1929 57,000 +18.8%
1930 57,000 +0.0%
1931 57,000 +0.0%
1932 71,000 +24.6%
1933 64,000 -9.9%
1934 97,000 +51.6%
1935 97,000 +0.0%
1936 96,000 -1.0%
1937 98,000 +2.1%
1938 97,000 -1.0%
1939 93,000 -4.1%
1940 103,000 +10.8%
1942 105,000 +1.9%
1946 119,000 +13.3%
1947 131,000 +10.1%
1948 131,000 +0.0%
1949 231,000 +76.3%
1950 231,000 +0.0%
1951 231,000 +0.0%
1952 231,000 +0.0%
1953 231,000 +0.0%
1954 231,000 +0.0%
1955 107,000 -53.7%
1956 107,000 +0.0%
1957 113,000 +5.6%
1958 229,000 +102.7%
1959 235,000 +2.6%
1960 241,000 +2.6%
1961 180,000 -25.3%
1962 185,000 +2.8%
1963 305,000 +64.9%
1964 315,000 +3.3%
1965 320,000 +1.6%
1966 325,000 +1.6%
1967 330,000 +1.5%
1968 340,000 +3.0%
1969 360,000 +5.9%
1970 375,000 +4.2%
1971 375,000 +0.0%
1972 410,000 +9.3%
1973 420,000 +2.4%
1974 435,000 +3.6%
1975 455,000 +4.6%
1976 450,000 -1.1%
1977 450,000 +0.0%
1978 450,000 +0.0%
1979 450,000 +0.0%
1980 450,000 +0.0%
1981 450,000 +0.0%
1982 460,000 +2.2%
1983 460,000 +0.0%
1984 459,000 -0.2%
1985 496,000 +8.1%
1986 527,000 +6.2%
1987 541,000 +2.7%
1988 319,000 -41.0%
1989 319,000 +0.0%
1990 295,000 -7.5%
1991 295,000 +0.0%
1992 296,000 +0.3%
1993 296,000 +0.0%
1994 296,000 +0.0%
1995 296,000 +0.0%
1996 296,000 +0.0%
1997 296,000 +0.0%
1998 296,000 +0.0%
1999 300,000 +1.4%
2000 288,000 -4.0%
2001 288,000 +0.0%
2002 288,000 +0.0%
2003 288,000 +0.0%
2004 295,000 +2.4%
2005 303,000 +2.7%
2006 287,000 -5.3%
2007 288,000 +0.3%
2008 368,000 +27.8%
2009 326,000 -11.4%
2010 328,000 +0.6%
2011 318,000 -3.0%
2012 318,000 +0.0%
2013 318,000 +0.0%
2014 318,000 +0.0%
2015 318,000 +0.0%
2016 335,000 +5.3%
2017 335,000 +0.0%
2018 335,000 +0.0%
2019 335,000 +0.0%
2020 367,000 +9.6%
2021 367,000 +0.0%
2022 367,000 +0.0%

Brazil compared with similar countries

  • Brazil's 367,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,000, 16.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Brazil's 367,000 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12,000, 30.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel in Brazil 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.

YearChange FromTo
1866 +120.0% 35,000 77,000
1918 +116.0% 25,000 54,000
1958 +102.7% 113,000 229,000
1865 +84.2% 19,000 35,000
1891 +77.3% 22,000 39,000
1949 +76.3% 131,000 231,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 18,000 18,000 18,000 4
1830s 15,400 12,000 18,000 10
1840s 21,100 17,000 26,000 10
1850s 24,900 20,000 27,000 10
1860s 42,700 17,000 77,000 10
1870s 31,300 21,000 73,000 10
1880s 20,100 18,000 22,000 10
1890s 33,400 22,000 40,000 10
1900s 25,200 19,000 33,000 10
1910s 34,200 25,000 64,000 10
1920s 55,000 48,000 60,000 10
1930s 82,700 57,000 98,000 10
1940s 136,667 103,000 231,000 6
1950s 194,600 107,000 235,000 10
1960s 290,100 180,000 360,000 10
1970s 427,000 375,000 455,000 10
1980s 448,100 319,000 541,000 10
1990s 296,200 295,000 300,000 10
2000s 301,900 287,000 368,000 10
2010s 325,800 318,000 335,000 10
2020s 367,000 367,000 367,000 3

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 11 Vietnam 482,000 compare
  2. 12 Egypt 439,000 compare
  3. 13 Indonesia 396,000 compare
  4. 15 Thailand 361,000 compare
  5. 16 Myanmar 356,000 compare
  6. 17 Turkey 355,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Brazil?
Military personnel in Brazil was 367,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 541,000 in 1987.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 12,000 in 1835.
How does Brazil rank for military personnel?
Brazil ranks 14th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel in Brazil. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/brazil/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed