Military personnel in Kuwait
Kuwait: Military personnel was 18,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
18,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
100th
of 194 countries
All-time high
28,000 people
in 1997
All-time low
1,000 people
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Military personnel in Kuwait, 1961–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 18,000 people for military personnel in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Kuwait peaked at 28,000 people in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1,000 people, in 1961.
That places Kuwait 100th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Military personnel in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,000 people | — |
| 1962 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 2,000 people | +100.0% |
| 1964 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 8,000 people | +300.0% |
| 1966 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 10,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1969 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 14,000 people | +40.0% |
| 1972 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 15,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1975 | 25,000 people | +66.7% |
| 1976 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 10,000 people | -60.0% |
| 1978 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 11,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1980 | 12,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1981 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 13,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1983 | 13,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 15,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1985 | 16,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 18,000 people | +12.5% |
| 1987 | 20,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 15,000 people | -25.0% |
| 1989 | 20,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1990 | 7,000 people | -65.0% |
| 1991 | 10,000 people | +42.9% |
| 1992 | 12,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1993 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 15,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1995 | 20,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 22,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1997 | 28,000 people | +27.3% |
| 1998 | 21,000 people | -25.0% |
| 1999 | 21,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 15,000 people | -28.6% |
| 2001 | 16,000 people | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 18,000 people | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 18,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 18,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 18,000 people | +0.0% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 18,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 97% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 18,000 people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500 people, 20% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,556 people | 1,000 people | 10,000 people | 9 |
| 1970s | 14,800 people | 10,000 people | 25,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,400 people | 12,000 people | 20,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,800 people | 7,000 people | 28,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 15,900 people | 15,000 people | 16,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,200 people | 16,000 people | 18,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,000 people | 18,000 people | 18,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More reference data data for Kuwait
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.092 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2888 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.385 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1086 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0052 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Kuwait?
- Military personnel in Kuwait was 18,000 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 28,000 people in 1997.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,000 people in 1961.
- How does Kuwait rank for military personnel?
- Kuwait ranks 100th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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 — 62 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.