Military personnel in Finland
Finland: Military personnel was 19,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Military personnel in Finland, 1919–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Finland recorded 19,000 people for military personnel in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 102 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Finland peaked at 350,000 people in 1943 and was at its lowest, 19,000 people, in 2021.
That places Finland 99th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 38,000 people | 38,000 people | 38,000 people | 1 |
| 1920s | 31,400 people | 29,000 people | 39,000 people | 10 |
| 1930s | 31,600 people | 27,000 people | 37,000 people | 10 |
| 1940s | 150,000 people | 32,000 people | 350,000 people | 8 |
| 1950s | 42,000 people | 42,000 people | 42,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 41,200 people | 35,000 people | 48,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 39,200 people | 36,000 people | 40,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 38,100 people | 36,000 people | 40,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 33,400 people | 31,000 people | 35,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29,400 people | 27,000 people | 32,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,100 people | 22,000 people | 23,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,000 people | 19,000 people | 22,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More reference data data for Finland
- Spring temperature anomalies 5.45 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.52 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -5.24 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.9 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.54 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Finland?
- Military personnel in Finland was 19,000 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 350,000 people in 1943.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 19,000 people in 2021.
- How does Finland rank for military personnel?
- Finland ranks 99th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Finland 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 — 102 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.