Military personnel in Norway

Norway: Military personnel was 25,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
25,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
88th
of 194 countries
All-time high
51,000
in 1990
All-time low
4,000
in 1930
Years of data
114
1905–2022

Military personnel in Norway, 1905–2022

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k190519632022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Norway recorded 25,000 for military personnel in 2022.

The figure is up 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Norway peaked at 51,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 4,000, in 1930.

Norway ranks 88th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Military personnel in Norway, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Norway, 1905 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1905 32,000 —
1906 7,000 -78.1%
1907 7,000 +0.0%
1908 7,000 +0.0%
1909 7,000 +0.0%
1910 5,000 -28.6%
1911 5,000 +0.0%
1912 5,000 +0.0%
1913 5,000 +0.0%
1914 5,000 +0.0%
1915 5,000 +0.0%
1916 5,000 +0.0%
1917 7,000 +40.0%
1918 7,000 +0.0%
1919 7,000 +0.0%
1920 7,000 +0.0%
1921 7,000 +0.0%
1922 7,000 +0.0%
1923 7,000 +0.0%
1924 7,000 +0.0%
1925 6,000 -14.3%
1926 7,000 +16.7%
1927 6,000 -14.3%
1928 6,000 +0.0%
1929 6,000 +0.0%
1930 4,000 -33.3%
1931 5,000 +25.0%
1932 5,000 +0.0%
1933 5,000 +0.0%
1934 4,000 -20.0%
1935 4,000 +0.0%
1936 4,000 +0.0%
1937 4,000 +0.0%
1938 4,000 +0.0%
1939 4,000 +0.0%
1940 4,000 +0.0%
1945 4,000 +0.0%
1946 33,000 +725.0%
1947 30,000 -9.1%
1948 30,000 +0.0%
1949 30,000 +0.0%
1950 30,000 +0.0%
1951 30,000 +0.0%
1952 31,000 +3.3%
1953 31,000 +0.0%
1954 32,000 +3.2%
1955 33,000 +3.1%
1956 34,000 +3.0%
1957 34,000 +0.0%
1958 35,000 +2.9%
1959 36,000 +2.9%
1960 37,000 +2.8%
1961 32,000 -13.5%
1962 34,000 +6.2%
1963 35,000 +2.9%
1964 35,000 +0.0%
1965 35,000 +0.0%
1966 35,000 +0.0%
1967 35,000 +0.0%
1968 35,000 +0.0%
1969 35,000 +0.0%
1970 35,000 +0.0%
1971 35,000 +0.0%
1972 35,000 +0.0%
1973 39,000 +11.4%
1974 40,000 +2.6%
1975 38,000 -5.0%
1976 39,000 +2.6%
1977 39,000 +0.0%
1978 40,000 +2.6%
1979 40,000 +0.0%
1980 40,000 +0.0%
1981 39,000 -2.5%
1982 40,000 +2.6%
1983 41,000 +2.5%
1984 39,000 -4.9%
1985 36,000 -7.7%
1986 38,000 +5.6%
1987 38,000 +0.0%
1988 40,000 +5.3%
1989 43,000 +7.5%
1990 51,000 +18.6%
1991 41,000 -19.6%
1992 36,000 -12.2%
1993 32,000 -11.1%
1994 33,000 +3.1%
1995 38,000 +15.2%
1996 38,000 +0.0%
1997 33,000 -13.2%
1998 33,000 +0.0%
1999 33,000 +0.0%
2000 27,000 -18.2%
2001 27,000 +0.0%
2002 27,000 +0.0%
2003 27,000 +0.0%
2004 26,000 -3.7%
2005 26,000 +0.0%
2006 26,000 +0.0%
2007 23,000 -11.5%
2008 16,000 -30.4%
2009 19,000 +18.8%
2010 24,000 +26.3%
2011 26,000 +8.3%
2012 24,000 -7.7%
2013 24,000 +0.0%
2014 26,000 +8.3%
2015 26,000 +0.0%
2016 26,000 +0.0%
2017 25,000 -3.8%
2018 24,000 -4.0%
2019 23,000 -4.2%
2020 23,000 +0.0%
2021 25,000 +8.7%
2022 25,000 +0.0%

Norway compared with similar countries

  • Norway's 25,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 1.4× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Norway's 25,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 23,000, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 12,000 7,000 32,000 5
1910s 5,600 5,000 7,000 10
1920s 6,600 6,000 7,000 10
1930s 4,300 4,000 5,000 10
1940s 21,833 4,000 33,000 6
1950s 32,600 30,000 36,000 10
1960s 34,800 32,000 37,000 10
1970s 38,000 35,000 40,000 10
1980s 39,400 36,000 43,000 10
1990s 36,800 32,000 51,000 10
2000s 24,400 16,000 27,000 10
2010s 24,800 23,000 26,000 10
2020s 24,333 23,000 25,000 3

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 88 Cameroon 25,000 compare
  2. 88 El Salvador 25,000 compare
  3. 91 Kenya 24,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Norway

All data for Norway →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Norway?
Military personnel in Norway was 25,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Norway?
The highest recorded value was 51,000 in 1990.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 4,000 in 1930.
How does Norway rank for military personnel?
Norway ranks 88th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Norway 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 Norway. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/norway/

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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