Military personnel in Ireland

Ireland: Military personnel was 8,000 in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
8,000
Change on year
down 11.1%
World rank
132nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
22,000
in 1922
All-time low
6,000
in 1930
Years of data
101
1922–2022

Military personnel in Ireland, 1922–2022

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k192219722022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 8,000 for military personnel in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Ireland peaked at 22,000 in 1922 and was at its lowest, 6,000, in 1930.

Ireland ranks 132nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Military personnel in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Ireland, 1922 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1922 22,000 —
1923 20,000 -9.1%
1924 20,000 +0.0%
1925 18,000 -10.0%
1926 12,000 -33.3%
1927 13,000 +8.3%
1928 10,000 -23.1%
1929 7,000 -30.0%
1930 6,000 -14.3%
1931 6,000 +0.0%
1932 6,000 +0.0%
1933 6,000 +0.0%
1934 6,000 +0.0%
1935 6,000 +0.0%
1936 6,000 +0.0%
1937 6,000 +0.0%
1938 6,000 +0.0%
1939 8,000 +33.3%
1940 8,000 +0.0%
1941 8,000 +0.0%
1942 9,000 +12.5%
1943 10,000 +11.1%
1944 10,000 +0.0%
1945 11,000 +10.0%
1946 11,000 +0.0%
1947 11,000 +0.0%
1948 11,000 +0.0%
1949 13,000 +18.2%
1950 13,000 +0.0%
1951 13,000 +0.0%
1952 13,000 +0.0%
1953 13,000 +0.0%
1954 13,000 +0.0%
1955 13,000 +0.0%
1956 13,000 +0.0%
1957 13,000 +0.0%
1958 13,000 +0.0%
1959 13,000 +0.0%
1960 13,000 +0.0%
1961 6,000 -53.8%
1962 7,000 +16.7%
1963 8,000 +14.3%
1964 8,000 +0.0%
1965 8,000 +0.0%
1966 8,000 +0.0%
1967 8,000 +0.0%
1968 8,000 +0.0%
1969 8,000 +0.0%
1970 8,000 +0.0%
1971 9,000 +12.5%
1972 9,000 +0.0%
1973 10,000 +11.1%
1974 11,000 +10.0%
1975 11,000 +0.0%
1976 14,000 +27.3%
1977 13,000 -7.1%
1978 14,000 +7.7%
1979 14,000 +0.0%
1980 19,000 +35.7%
1981 19,000 +0.0%
1982 21,000 +10.5%
1983 18,000 -14.3%
1984 13,000 -27.8%
1985 14,000 +7.7%
1986 14,000 +0.0%
1987 14,000 +0.0%
1988 13,000 -7.1%
1989 13,000 +0.0%
1990 13,000 +0.0%
1991 13,000 +0.0%
1992 13,000 +0.0%
1993 13,000 +0.0%
1994 17,000 +30.8%
1995 17,000 +0.0%
1996 17,000 +0.0%
1997 17,000 +0.0%
1998 17,000 +0.0%
1999 14,000 -17.6%
2000 12,000 -14.3%
2001 10,000 -16.7%
2002 10,000 +0.0%
2003 10,000 +0.0%
2004 10,000 +0.0%
2005 10,000 +0.0%
2006 10,000 +0.0%
2007 10,000 +0.0%
2008 10,000 +0.0%
2009 10,000 +0.0%
2010 10,000 +0.0%
2011 10,000 +0.0%
2012 10,000 +0.0%
2013 9,000 -10.0%
2014 9,000 +0.0%
2015 9,000 +0.0%
2016 9,000 +0.0%
2017 9,000 +0.0%
2018 9,000 +0.0%
2019 9,000 +0.0%
2020 9,000 +0.0%
2021 9,000 +0.0%
2022 8,000 -11.1%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 8,000 is below the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 43% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 8,000 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23,000, 35% of the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 15,250 7,000 22,000 8
1930s 6,200 6,000 8,000 10
1940s 10,200 8,000 13,000 10
1950s 13,000 13,000 13,000 10
1960s 8,200 6,000 13,000 10
1970s 11,300 8,000 14,000 10
1980s 15,800 13,000 21,000 10
1990s 15,100 13,000 17,000 10
2000s 10,200 10,000 12,000 10
2010s 9,300 9,000 10,000 10
2020s 8,667 8,000 9,000 3

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 132 Albania 8,000 compare
  2. 132 Bahrain 8,000 compare
  3. 132 Djibouti 8,000 compare
  4. 132 North Macedonia 8,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Ireland?
Military personnel in Ireland was 8,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 22,000 in 1922.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 6,000 in 1930.
How does Ireland rank for military personnel?
Ireland ranks 132nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/ireland/

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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