Military personnel in Myanmar

Myanmar: Military personnel was 356,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
356,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 194 countries
All-time high
488,000
in 2003
All-time low
3,000
in 1948
Years of data
75
1948–2022

Military personnel in Myanmar, 1948–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k194819852022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Myanmar is 356,000, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Myanmar peaked at 488,000 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 3,000, in 1948.

That places Myanmar 16th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel in Myanmar, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Myanmar, 1948 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1948 3,000 —
1949 4,000 +33.3%
1950 6,000 +50.0%
1951 8,000 +33.3%
1952 10,000 +25.0%
1953 14,000 +40.0%
1954 19,000 +35.7%
1955 25,000 +31.6%
1956 33,000 +32.0%
1957 44,000 +33.3%
1958 56,000 +27.3%
1959 67,000 +19.6%
1960 79,000 +17.9%
1961 90,000 +13.9%
1962 100,000 +11.1%
1963 105,000 +5.0%
1964 123,000 +17.1%
1965 133,000 +8.1%
1966 135,000 +1.5%
1967 136,000 +0.7%
1968 136,000 +0.0%
1969 173,000 +27.2%
1970 174,000 +0.6%
1971 175,000 +0.6%
1972 191,000 +9.1%
1973 198,000 +3.7%
1974 202,000 +2.0%
1975 209,000 +3.5%
1976 210,000 +0.5%
1977 208,000 -1.0%
1978 212,000 +1.9%
1979 212,000 +0.0%
1980 179,000 -15.6%
1981 210,000 +17.3%
1982 210,000 +0.0%
1983 179,000 -14.8%
1984 181,000 +1.1%
1985 186,000 +2.8%
1986 186,000 +0.0%
1987 186,000 +0.0%
1988 186,000 +0.0%
1989 200,000 +7.5%
1990 230,000 +15.0%
1991 286,000 +24.3%
1992 286,000 +0.0%
1993 322,000 +12.6%
1994 322,000 +0.0%
1995 322,000 +0.0%
1996 322,000 +0.0%
1997 322,000 +0.0%
1998 322,000 +0.0%
1999 345,000 +7.1%
2000 344,000 -0.3%
2001 344,000 +0.0%
2002 444,000 +29.1%
2003 488,000 +9.9%
2004 458,000 -6.1%
2005 428,000 -6.6%
2006 376,000 -12.1%
2007 375,000 -0.3%
2008 406,000 +8.3%
2009 406,000 +0.0%
2010 406,000 +0.0%
2011 406,000 +0.0%
2012 406,000 +0.0%
2013 406,000 +0.0%
2014 406,000 +0.0%
2015 406,000 +0.0%
2016 406,000 +0.0%
2017 406,000 +0.0%
2018 406,000 +0.0%
2019 406,000 +0.0%
2020 406,000 +0.0%
2021 356,000 -12.3%
2022 356,000 +0.0%

Myanmar compared with similar countries

  • Myanmar's 356,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500, 23.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Myanmar's 356,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500, 37.5× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel in Myanmar 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.

YearChange FromTo
1950 +50.0% 4,000 6,000
1953 +40.0% 10,000 14,000
1954 +35.7% 14,000 19,000
1949 +33.3% 3,000 4,000
1951 +33.3% 6,000 8,000
1957 +33.3% 33,000 44,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 3,500 3,000 4,000 2
1950s 28,200 6,000 67,000 10
1960s 121,000 79,000 173,000 10
1970s 199,100 174,000 212,000 10
1980s 190,300 179,000 210,000 10
1990s 307,900 230,000 345,000 10
2000s 406,900 344,000 488,000 10
2010s 406,000 406,000 406,000 10
2020s 372,667 356,000 406,000 3

Countries ranked near Myanmar

  1. 13 Indonesia 396,000 compare
  2. 14 Brazil 367,000 compare
  3. 15 Thailand 361,000 compare
  4. 17 Turkey 355,000 compare
  5. 18 Eritrea 302,000 compare
  6. 19 Saudi Arabia 257,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Myanmar

All data for Myanmar →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Myanmar?
Military personnel in Myanmar was 356,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Myanmar?
The highest recorded value was 488,000 in 2003.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Myanmar?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 in 1948.
How does Myanmar rank for military personnel?
Myanmar ranks 16th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Myanmar?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Myanmar 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 Myanmar. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/myanmar/

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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