Military personnel in Brunei

Brunei: Military personnel was 7,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
7,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
137th
of 194 countries
All-time high
7,000 people
in 2002
All-time low
4,000 people
in 1984
Years of data
39
1984–2022

Military personnel in Brunei, 1984–2022

02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k1984200320221984: 4.0k people1985: 4.0k people1986: 4.0k people1987: 4.0k people1988: 4.0k people1989: 4.0k people1990: 4.0k people1991: 4.0k people1992: 4.0k people1993: 4.0k people1994: 5.0k people1995: 5.0k people1996: 5.0k people1997: 5.0k people1998: 5.0k people1999: 5.0k people2000: 5.0k people2001: 6.0k people2002: 7.0k people2003: 7.0k people2004: 7.0k people2005: 7.0k people2006: 7.0k people2007: 7.0k people2008: 7.0k people2009: 7.0k people2010: 7.0k people2011: 7.0k people2012: 7.0k people2013: 7.0k people2014: 7.0k people2015: 7.0k people2016: 7.0k people2017: 7.0k people2018: 7.0k people2019: 7.0k people2020: 7.0k people2021: 7.0k people2022: 7.0k people

Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Brunei is 7,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Brunei peaked at 7,000 people in 2002 and was at its lowest, 4,000 people, in 1984.

That places Brunei 137th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Military personnel in Brunei, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Brunei, 1984 to 2022.
Year people Change
1984 4,000 people
1985 4,000 people +0.0%
1986 4,000 people +0.0%
1987 4,000 people +0.0%
1988 4,000 people +0.0%
1989 4,000 people +0.0%
1990 4,000 people +0.0%
1991 4,000 people +0.0%
1992 4,000 people +0.0%
1993 4,000 people +0.0%
1994 5,000 people +25.0%
1995 5,000 people +0.0%
1996 5,000 people +0.0%
1997 5,000 people +0.0%
1998 5,000 people +0.0%
1999 5,000 people +0.0%
2000 5,000 people +0.0%
2001 6,000 people +20.0%
2002 7,000 people +16.7%
2003 7,000 people +0.0%
2004 7,000 people +0.0%
2005 7,000 people +0.0%
2006 7,000 people +0.0%
2007 7,000 people +0.0%
2008 7,000 people +0.0%
2009 7,000 people +0.0%
2010 7,000 people +0.0%
2011 7,000 people +0.0%
2012 7,000 people +0.0%
2013 7,000 people +0.0%
2014 7,000 people +0.0%
2015 7,000 people +0.0%
2016 7,000 people +0.0%
2017 7,000 people +0.0%
2018 7,000 people +0.0%
2019 7,000 people +0.0%
2020 7,000 people +0.0%
2021 7,000 people +0.0%
2022 7,000 people +0.0%

Brunei compared with similar countries

  • Brunei's 7,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 38% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Brunei's 7,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 74% of the median. (30 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4,000 people 4,000 people 4,000 people 6
1990s 4,600 people 4,000 people 5,000 people 10
2000s 6,700 people 5,000 people 7,000 people 10
2010s 7,000 people 7,000 people 7,000 people 10
2020s 7,000 people 7,000 people 7,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Brunei

  1. 137 Burkina Faso 7,000 people compare
  2. 137 Estonia 7,000 people compare
  3. 137 Latvia 7,000 people compare
  4. 137 Libya 7,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Brunei

All data for Brunei →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Brunei?
Military personnel in Brunei was 7,000 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 Brunei?
The highest recorded value was 7,000 people in 2002.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Brunei?
The lowest recorded value was 4,000 people in 1984.
How does Brunei rank for military personnel?
Brunei ranks 137th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Brunei?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Brunei 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.

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Military personnel in Brunei. Statizoid, drawing on Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/brunei-darussalam/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

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.