Military personnel in Israel
Israel: Military personnel was 170,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
170,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
28th
of 194 countries
All-time high
205,000 people
in 1982
All-time low
63,000 people
in 1961
Years of data
75
1948–2022
Military personnel in Israel, 1948–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Israel is 170,000 people, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Israel peaked at 205,000 people in 1982 and was at its lowest, 63,000 people, 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
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 85,000 people | — |
| 1949 | 82,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1950 | 78,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1951 | 75,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1952 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 75,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 70,000 people | -6.7% |
| 1958 | 65,000 people | -7.1% |
| 1959 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 63,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 65,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 65,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 75,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1968 | 95,000 people | +26.7% |
| 1969 | 100,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 105,000 people | +5.0% |
| 1971 | 130,000 people | +23.8% |
| 1972 | 130,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 130,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 182,000 people | +40.0% |
| 1975 | 172,000 people | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 172,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 179,000 people | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 179,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 181,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 196,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 201,000 people | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 205,000 people | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 205,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 205,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 195,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 180,000 people | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 180,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 191,000 people | +6.1% |
| 1989 | 191,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 190,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 190,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 181,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 181,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 185,000 people | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 175,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1999 | 173,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 172,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 164,000 people | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 161,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 167,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 168,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 168,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 168,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 168,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 177,000 people | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 177,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 170,000 people | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 170,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 170,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 170,000 people | +0.0% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 170,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 9.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Israel's 170,000 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500 people, 1.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 83,500 people | 82,000 people | 85,000 people | 2 |
| 1950s | 72,800 people | 65,000 people | 78,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 72,300 people | 63,000 people | 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 156,000 people | 105,000 people | 182,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 194,900 people | 180,000 people | 205,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 183,000 people | 173,000 people | 190,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 169,000 people | 161,000 people | 177,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 176,300 people | 170,000 people | 177,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 170,000 people | 170,000 people | 170,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Israel
More reference data data for Israel
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0882 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.719 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0191 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.719 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2959 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1891 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.104 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Israel?
- Military personnel in Israel was 170,000 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 205,000 people in 1982.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 63,000 people 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 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 — 75 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.