Military personnel in Canada
Canada: Military personnel was 67,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
67,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
55th
of 194 countries
All-time high
801,000
in 1945
All-time low
4,000
in 1920
Years of data
103
1920–2022
Military personnel in Canada, 1920–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in Canada stood at 67,000.
That represents a change of up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Canada peaked at 801,000 in 1945 and was at its lowest, 4,000, in 1920.
That places Canada 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military personnel in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 4,000 | — |
| 1921 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 5,000 | +25.0% |
| 1929 | 4,000 | -20.0% |
| 1930 | 5,000 | +25.0% |
| 1931 | 6,000 | +20.0% |
| 1932 | 5,000 | -16.7% |
| 1933 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 4,000 | -20.0% |
| 1936 | 6,000 | +50.0% |
| 1937 | 6,000 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 6,000 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 6,000 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 21,000 | +250.0% |
| 1941 | 280,000 | +1233.3% |
| 1942 | 400,000 | +42.9% |
| 1943 | 740,000 | +85.0% |
| 1944 | 728,000 | -1.6% |
| 1945 | 801,000 | +10.0% |
| 1946 | 46,000 | -94.3% |
| 1947 | 43,000 | -6.5% |
| 1948 | 40,000 | -7.0% |
| 1949 | 47,000 | +17.5% |
| 1950 | 45,000 | -4.3% |
| 1951 | 62,000 | +37.8% |
| 1952 | 102,000 | +64.5% |
| 1953 | 104,000 | +2.0% |
| 1954 | 108,000 | +3.8% |
| 1955 | 112,000 | +3.7% |
| 1956 | 116,000 | +3.6% |
| 1957 | 121,000 | +4.3% |
| 1958 | 119,000 | -1.7% |
| 1959 | 120,000 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 121,000 | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 124,000 | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 124,000 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 120,000 | -3.2% |
| 1964 | 120,000 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 120,000 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 110,000 | -8.3% |
| 1967 | 105,000 | -4.5% |
| 1968 | 105,000 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 100,000 | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 95,000 | -5.0% |
| 1971 | 85,000 | -10.5% |
| 1972 | 90,000 | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 82,000 | -8.9% |
| 1974 | 82,000 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 78,000 | -4.9% |
| 1976 | 78,000 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 78,000 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 79,000 | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 79,000 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 82,000 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 81,000 | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 81,000 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 81,000 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 82,000 | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 83,000 | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 85,000 | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 86,000 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 88,000 | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 88,000 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 87,000 | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 86,000 | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 82,000 | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 76,000 | -7.3% |
| 1994 | 75,000 | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 70,000 | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 66,000 | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 61,000 | -7.6% |
| 1998 | 60,000 | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 60,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 59,000 | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 57,000 | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 52,000 | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 52,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 57,000 | +9.6% |
| 2005 | 62,000 | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 62,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 63,000 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 64,000 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 64,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 66,000 | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 66,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 63,000 | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 63,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 67,000 | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 67,000 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 67,000 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 67,000 | +0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 67,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 3.6× the median. (64 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | +1233.3% | 21,000 | 280,000 |
| 1940 | +250.0% | 6,000 | 21,000 |
| 1946 | -94.3% | 801,000 | 46,000 |
| 1943 | +85.0% | 400,000 | 740,000 |
| 1952 | +64.5% | 62,000 | 102,000 |
| 1936 | +50.0% | 4,000 | 6,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 4,100 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 10 |
| 1930s | 5,400 | 4,000 | 6,000 | 10 |
| 1940s | 314,600 | 21,000 | 801,000 | 10 |
| 1950s | 100,900 | 45,000 | 121,000 | 10 |
| 1960s | 114,900 | 100,000 | 124,000 | 10 |
| 1970s | 82,600 | 78,000 | 95,000 | 10 |
| 1980s | 83,700 | 81,000 | 88,000 | 10 |
| 1990s | 72,300 | 60,000 | 87,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 59,200 | 52,000 | 64,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65,500 | 63,000 | 67,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67,000 | 67,000 | 67,000 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Canada?
- Military personnel in Canada was 67,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 801,000 in 1945.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 in 1920.
- How does Canada rank for military personnel?
- Canada ranks 55th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 103 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).