Military personnel in Philippines

Philippines: Military personnel was 145,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
145,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
34th
of 194 countries
All-time high
157,000 people
in 1982
All-time low
0 people
in 1946
Years of data
77
1946–2022

Military personnel in Philippines, 1946–2022

050.0k100.0k150.0k194619842022

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Philippines is 145,000 people, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of up 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Philippines peaked at 157,000 people in 1982 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1946.

That places Philippines 34th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 77 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 20,750 people 0 people 28,000 people 4
1950s 40,600 people 29,000 people 58,000 people 10
1960s 51,400 people 45,000 people 62,000 people 10
1970s 105,900 people 58,000 people 156,000 people 10
1980s 127,100 people 105,000 people 157,000 people 10
1990s 105,900 people 103,000 people 109,000 people 10
2000s 106,100 people 106,000 people 107,000 people 10
2010s 126,200 people 120,000 people 142,000 people 10
2020s 144,000 people 142,000 people 145,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 31 Bangladesh 163,000 people compare
  2. 32 Italy 161,000 people compare
  3. 33 United Kingdom 150,000 people compare
  4. 35 Nigeria 143,000 people compare
  5. 36 Algeria 139,000 people compare
  6. 37 Democratic Republic of Congo 134,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Philippines?
Military personnel in Philippines was 145,000 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 Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 157,000 people in 1982.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1946.
How does Philippines rank for military personnel?
Philippines ranks 34th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Philippines 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 — 77 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.