Military personnel in Greece

Greece: Military personnel was 132,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
132,000
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
38th
of 194 countries
All-time high
414,000
in 1941
All-time low
5,000
in 1828
Years of data
192
1828–2022

Military personnel in Greece, 1828–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k182819252022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Greece is 132,000, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Greece peaked at 414,000 in 1941 and was at its lowest, 5,000, in 1828.

That places Greece 38th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Military personnel in Greece, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Greece, 1828 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1828 5,000 —
1829 5,000 +0.0%
1830 5,000 +0.0%
1831 5,000 +0.0%
1832 8,000 +60.0%
1833 9,000 +12.5%
1834 11,000 +22.2%
1835 12,000 +9.1%
1836 9,000 -25.0%
1837 11,000 +22.2%
1838 12,000 +9.1%
1839 12,000 +0.0%
1840 9,000 -25.0%
1841 8,000 -11.1%
1842 8,000 +0.0%
1843 8,000 +0.0%
1844 7,000 -12.5%
1845 7,000 +0.0%
1846 6,000 -14.3%
1847 8,000 +33.3%
1848 10,000 +25.0%
1849 9,000 -10.0%
1850 9,000 +0.0%
1851 9,000 +0.0%
1852 8,000 -11.1%
1853 10,000 +25.0%
1854 10,000 +0.0%
1855 9,000 -10.0%
1856 9,000 +0.0%
1857 9,000 +0.0%
1858 10,000 +11.1%
1859 10,000 +0.0%
1860 10,000 +0.0%
1861 8,000 -20.0%
1862 8,000 +0.0%
1863 12,000 +50.0%
1864 12,000 +0.0%
1865 13,000 +8.3%
1866 13,000 +0.0%
1867 15,000 +15.4%
1868 16,000 +6.7%
1869 16,000 +0.0%
1870 14,000 -12.5%
1871 11,000 -21.4%
1872 11,000 +0.0%
1873 11,000 +0.0%
1874 11,000 +0.0%
1875 14,000 +27.3%
1876 12,000 -14.3%
1877 25,000 +108.3%
1878 13,000 -48.0%
1879 13,000 +0.0%
1880 10,000 -23.1%
1881 84,000 +740.0%
1882 32,000 -61.9%
1883 28,000 -12.5%
1884 28,000 +0.0%
1885 28,000 +0.0%
1886 28,000 +0.0%
1887 27,000 -3.6%
1888 25,000 -7.4%
1889 29,000 +16.0%
1890 25,000 -13.8%
1891 32,000 +28.0%
1892 31,000 -3.1%
1893 25,000 -19.4%
1894 25,000 +0.0%
1895 26,000 +4.0%
1896 25,000 -3.8%
1897 25,000 +0.0%
1898 25,000 +0.0%
1899 25,000 +0.0%
1900 25,000 +0.0%
1901 22,000 -12.0%
1902 22,000 +0.0%
1903 23,000 +4.5%
1904 28,000 +21.7%
1905 29,000 +3.6%
1906 26,000 -10.3%
1907 25,000 -3.8%
1908 25,000 +0.0%
1909 25,000 +0.0%
1910 30,000 +20.0%
1911 33,000 +10.0%
1912 27,000 -18.2%
1913 200,000 +640.7%
1914 29,000 -85.5%
1915 33,000 +13.8%
1916 37,000 +12.1%
1917 42,000 +13.5%
1918 51,000 +21.4%
1919 58,000 +13.7%
1920 65,000 +12.1%
1921 72,000 +10.8%
1922 79,000 +9.7%
1923 79,000 +0.0%
1924 78,000 -1.3%
1925 81,000 +3.8%
1926 79,000 -2.5%
1927 76,000 -3.8%
1928 73,000 -3.9%
1929 69,000 -5.5%
1930 66,000 -4.3%
1931 62,000 -6.1%
1932 62,000 +0.0%
1933 62,000 +0.0%
1934 63,000 +1.6%
1935 63,000 +0.0%
1936 68,000 +7.9%
1937 90,000 +32.4%
1938 95,000 +5.6%
1939 98,000 +3.2%
1940 105,000 +7.1%
1941 414,000 +294.3%
1945 117,000 -71.7%
1946 120,000 +2.6%
1947 137,000 +14.2%
1948 154,000 +12.4%
1949 223,000 +44.8%
1950 192,000 -13.9%
1951 160,000 -16.7%
1952 171,000 +6.9%
1953 171,000 +0.0%
1954 173,000 +1.2%
1955 144,000 -16.8%
1956 135,000 -6.2%
1957 144,000 +6.7%
1958 148,000 +2.8%
1959 152,000 +2.7%
1960 160,000 +5.3%
1961 160,000 +0.0%
1962 160,000 +0.0%
1963 175,000 +9.4%
1964 175,000 +0.0%
1965 190,000 +8.6%
1966 175,000 -7.9%
1967 170,000 -2.9%
1968 185,000 +8.8%
1969 180,000 -2.7%
1970 180,000 +0.0%
1971 180,000 +0.0%
1972 180,000 +0.0%
1973 184,000 +2.2%
1974 186,000 +1.1%
1975 185,000 -0.5%
1976 186,000 +0.5%
1977 187,000 +0.5%
1978 186,000 -0.5%
1979 187,000 +0.5%
1980 186,000 -0.5%
1981 188,000 +1.1%
1982 186,000 -1.1%
1983 177,000 -4.8%
1984 197,000 +11.3%
1985 201,000 +2.0%
1986 202,000 +0.5%
1987 199,000 -1.5%
1988 199,000 +0.0%
1989 201,000 +1.0%
1990 201,000 +0.0%
1991 205,000 +2.0%
1992 208,000 +1.5%
1993 213,000 +2.4%
1994 206,000 -3.3%
1995 213,000 +3.4%
1996 212,000 -0.5%
1997 206,000 -2.8%
1998 202,000 -1.9%
1999 204,000 +1.0%
2000 159,000 -22.1%
2001 159,000 +0.0%
2002 178,000 +11.9%
2003 178,000 +0.0%
2004 171,000 -3.9%
2005 164,000 -4.1%
2006 164,000 +0.0%
2007 147,000 -10.4%
2008 157,000 +6.8%
2009 157,000 +0.0%
2010 157,000 +0.0%
2011 139,000 -11.5%
2012 146,000 +5.0%
2013 144,000 -1.4%
2014 143,000 -0.7%
2015 145,000 +1.4%
2016 143,000 -1.4%
2017 143,000 +0.0%
2018 141,000 -1.4%
2019 142,000 +0.7%
2020 143,000 +0.7%
2021 143,000 +0.0%
2022 132,000 -7.7%

Greece compared with similar countries

  • Greece's 132,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 7.1× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Greece's 132,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23,000, 5.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel in Greece 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
1881 +740.0% 10,000 84,000
1913 +640.7% 27,000 200,000
1941 +294.3% 105,000 414,000
1877 +108.3% 12,000 25,000
1914 -85.5% 200,000 29,000
1945 -71.7% 414,000 117,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 5,000 5,000 5,000 2
1830s 9,400 5,000 12,000 10
1840s 8,000 6,000 10,000 10
1850s 9,300 8,000 10,000 10
1860s 12,300 8,000 16,000 10
1870s 13,500 11,000 25,000 10
1880s 31,900 10,000 84,000 10
1890s 26,400 25,000 32,000 10
1900s 25,000 22,000 29,000 10
1910s 54,000 27,000 200,000 10
1920s 75,100 65,000 81,000 10
1930s 72,900 62,000 98,000 10
1940s 181,429 105,000 414,000 7
1950s 159,000 135,000 192,000 10
1960s 173,000 160,000 190,000 10
1970s 184,100 180,000 187,000 10
1980s 193,600 177,000 202,000 10
1990s 207,000 201,000 213,000 10
2000s 163,400 147,000 178,000 10
2010s 144,300 139,000 157,000 10
2020s 139,333 132,000 143,000 3

Countries ranked near Greece

  1. 35 Nigeria 143,000 compare
  2. 36 Algeria 139,000 compare
  3. 37 Democratic Republic of Congo 134,000 compare
  4. 39 Cambodia 124,000 compare
  5. 39 Spain 124,000 compare
  6. 41 Venezuela 123,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Greece

All data for Greece →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Greece?
Military personnel in Greece was 132,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Greece?
The highest recorded value was 414,000 in 1941.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Greece?
The lowest recorded value was 5,000 in 1828.
How does Greece rank for military personnel?
Greece ranks 38th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Greece?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Greece 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 Greece. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/greece/

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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