Military personnel in Israel

Israel: Military personnel was 170,000 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
170,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
28th
of 194 countries
All-time high
205,000
in 1982
All-time low
63,000
in 1961
Years of data
75
1948–2022

Military personnel in Israel, 1948–2022

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k194819852022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Israel is 170,000, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 4.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Israel peaked at 205,000 in 1982 and was at its lowest, 63,000, in 1961.

That places Israel 28th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.

Military personnel in Israel, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Israel, 1948 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1948 85,000 —
1949 82,000 -3.5%
1950 78,000 -4.9%
1951 75,000 -3.8%
1952 75,000 +0.0%
1953 75,000 +0.0%
1954 75,000 +0.0%
1955 75,000 +0.0%
1956 75,000 +0.0%
1957 70,000 -6.7%
1958 65,000 -7.1%
1959 65,000 +0.0%
1960 65,000 +0.0%
1961 63,000 -3.1%
1962 65,000 +3.2%
1963 65,000 +0.0%
1964 65,000 +0.0%
1965 65,000 +0.0%
1966 65,000 +0.0%
1967 75,000 +15.4%
1968 95,000 +26.7%
1969 100,000 +5.3%
1970 105,000 +5.0%
1971 130,000 +23.8%
1972 130,000 +0.0%
1973 130,000 +0.0%
1974 182,000 +40.0%
1975 172,000 -5.5%
1976 172,000 +0.0%
1977 179,000 +4.1%
1978 179,000 +0.0%
1979 181,000 +1.1%
1980 196,000 +8.3%
1981 201,000 +2.6%
1982 205,000 +2.0%
1983 205,000 +0.0%
1984 205,000 +0.0%
1985 195,000 -4.9%
1986 180,000 -7.7%
1987 180,000 +0.0%
1988 191,000 +6.1%
1989 191,000 +0.0%
1990 190,000 -0.5%
1991 190,000 +0.0%
1992 181,000 -4.7%
1993 181,000 +0.0%
1994 185,000 +2.2%
1995 185,000 +0.0%
1996 185,000 +0.0%
1997 185,000 +0.0%
1998 175,000 -5.4%
1999 173,000 -1.1%
2000 172,000 -0.6%
2001 164,000 -4.7%
2002 161,000 -1.8%
2003 167,000 +3.7%
2004 168,000 +0.6%
2005 168,000 +0.0%
2006 168,000 +0.0%
2007 168,000 +0.0%
2008 177,000 +5.4%
2009 177,000 +0.0%
2010 177,000 +0.0%
2011 177,000 +0.0%
2012 177,000 +0.0%
2013 177,000 +0.0%
2014 177,000 +0.0%
2015 177,000 +0.0%
2016 177,000 +0.0%
2017 177,000 +0.0%
2018 177,000 +0.0%
2019 170,000 -4.0%
2020 170,000 +0.0%
2021 170,000 +0.0%
2022 170,000 +0.0%

Israel compared with similar countries

  • Israel's 170,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 9.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Israel's 170,000 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500, 1.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 83,500 82,000 85,000 2
1950s 72,800 65,000 78,000 10
1960s 72,300 63,000 100,000 10
1970s 156,000 105,000 182,000 10
1980s 194,900 180,000 205,000 10
1990s 183,000 173,000 190,000 10
2000s 169,000 161,000 177,000 10
2010s 176,300 170,000 177,000 10
2020s 170,000 170,000 170,000 3

Countries ranked near Israel

  1. 25 Morocco 196,000 compare
  2. 26 Iraq 193,000 compare
  3. 27 Germany 183,000 compare
  4. 29 Syria 169,000 compare
  5. 29 Taiwan 169,000 compare
  6. 31 Bangladesh 163,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Israel

All data for Israel →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Israel?
Military personnel in Israel was 170,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Israel?
The highest recorded value was 205,000 in 1982.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Israel?
The lowest recorded value was 63,000 in 1961.
How does Israel rank for military personnel?
Israel ranks 28th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Israel?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Israel 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 Israel. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/israel/

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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