Military personnel in Malaysia
Malaysia: Military personnel was 113,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
113,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
43rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
130,000 people
in 1990
All-time low
14,000 people
in 1963
Years of data
66
1957–2022
Military personnel in Malaysia, 1957–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in Malaysia stood at 113,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Malaysia peaked at 130,000 people in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14,000 people, in 1963.
That places Malaysia 43rd out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Military personnel in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 18,000 people | — |
| 1958 | 20,000 people | +11.1% |
| 1959 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 44,000 people | +120.0% |
| 1962 | 46,000 people | +4.5% |
| 1963 | 14,000 people | -69.6% |
| 1964 | 32,000 people | +128.6% |
| 1965 | 37,000 people | +15.6% |
| 1966 | 35,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1967 | 40,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1968 | 46,000 people | +15.0% |
| 1969 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 58,000 people | +26.1% |
| 1971 | 62,000 people | +6.9% |
| 1972 | 69,000 people | +11.3% |
| 1973 | 70,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 75,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1975 | 76,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 80,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1977 | 79,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 82,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 82,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 83,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 90,000 people | +8.4% |
| 1982 | 95,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1983 | 99,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 125,000 people | +26.3% |
| 1985 | 110,000 people | -12.0% |
| 1986 | 113,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 113,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 113,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 115,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 130,000 people | +13.0% |
| 1991 | 128,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 128,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 115,000 people | -10.2% |
| 1994 | 115,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 122,000 people | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 128,000 people | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 110,000 people | -14.1% |
| 1998 | 110,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 95,000 people | -13.6% |
| 2000 | 96,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 100,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 104,000 people | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 107,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 110,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 110,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 109,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 109,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 113,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 113,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 113,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 113,000 people | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 113,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,000 people, 4.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 113,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 11.9× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel in Malaysia 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | +128.6% | 14,000 people | 32,000 people |
| 1961 | +120.0% | 20,000 people | 44,000 people |
| 1963 | -69.6% | 46,000 people | 14,000 people |
| 1984 | +26.3% | 99,000 people | 125,000 people |
| 1970 | +26.1% | 46,000 people | 58,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19,333 people | 18,000 people | 20,000 people | 3 |
| 1960s | 36,000 people | 14,000 people | 46,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 73,300 people | 58,000 people | 82,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 105,600 people | 83,000 people | 125,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 118,100 people | 95,000 people | 130,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 105,400 people | 96,000 people | 110,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 109,400 people | 109,000 people | 113,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 113,000 people | 113,000 people | 113,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7102 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5869 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1487 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8098 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Malaysia?
- Military personnel in Malaysia was 113,000 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 130,000 people in 1990.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,000 people in 1963.
- How does Malaysia rank for military personnel?
- Malaysia ranks 43rd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 — 66 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.