Military personnel in Peru

Peru: Military personnel was 81,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
81,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
50th
of 194 countries
All-time high
167,000 people
in 1983
All-time low
3,000 people
in 1896
Years of data
181
1839–2022

Military personnel in Peru, 1839–2022

050.0k100.0k150.0k183919302022

Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Peru recorded 81,000 people for military personnel in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Peru peaked at 167,000 people in 1983 and was at its lowest, 3,000 people, in 1896.

Peru ranks 50th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1830s 4,000 people 4,000 people 4,000 people 1
1840s 8,600 people 5,000 people 11,000 people 10
1850s 11,000 people 10,000 people 12,000 people 10
1860s 13,300 people 9,000 people 18,000 people 10
1870s 8,900 people 4,000 people 10,000 people 10
1880s 5,500 people 4,000 people 7,000 people 8
1890s 4,800 people 3,000 people 8,000 people 10
1900s 3,900 people 3,000 people 4,000 people 10
1910s 7,300 people 4,000 people 12,000 people 10
1920s 12,200 people 10,000 people 14,000 people 10
1930s 13,000 people 10,000 people 17,000 people 10
1940s 32,000 people 29,000 people 38,000 people 9
1950s 32,200 people 18,000 people 42,000 people 10
1960s 63,100 people 42,000 people 75,000 people 10
1970s 96,500 people 75,000 people 125,000 people 10
1980s 137,700 people 110,000 people 167,000 people 10
1990s 115,900 people 112,000 people 125,000 people 10
2000s 98,300 people 80,000 people 115,000 people 10
2010s 101,300 people 81,000 people 115,000 people 10
2020s 81,000 people 81,000 people 81,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Peru

  1. 47 Afghanistan 100,000 people compare
  2. 48 Nepal 97,000 people compare
  3. 49 United Arab Emirates 83,000 people compare
  4. 51 South Africa 74,000 people compare
  5. 52 Argentina 72,000 people compare
  6. 52 Romania 72,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Peru

All data for Peru →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Peru?
Military personnel in Peru was 81,000 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 Peru?
The highest recorded value was 167,000 people in 1983.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Peru?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 people in 1896.
How does Peru rank for military personnel?
Peru ranks 50th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Peru?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Peru 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 — 181 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

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.