Military personnel in Romania

Romania: Military personnel was 72,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
72,000 people
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
52nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
975,000 people
in 1944
All-time low
16,000 people
in 1878
Years of data
142
1878–2022

Military personnel in Romania, 1878–2022

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M187819502022

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

Analysis

Romania recorded 72,000 people for military personnel in 2022.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Romania peaked at 975,000 people in 1944 and was at its lowest, 16,000 people, in 1878.

Romania ranks 52nd 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
1870s 16,500 people 16,000 people 17,000 people 2
1880s 31,600 people 21,000 people 41,000 people 10
1890s 53,500 people 40,000 people 67,000 people 10
1900s 71,200 people 53,000 people 104,000 people 10
1910s 174,800 people 89,000 people 292,000 people 10
1920s 191,700 people 144,000 people 253,000 people 10
1930s 158,100 people 137,000 people 192,000 people 10
1940s 356,571 people 114,000 people 975,000 people 7
1950s 242,000 people 194,000 people 272,000 people 10
1960s 238,300 people 190,000 people 312,000 people 10
1970s 212,400 people 192,000 people 220,000 people 10
1980s 225,400 people 207,000 people 248,000 people 10
1990s 186,900 people 126,000 people 201,000 people 10
2000s 102,500 people 70,000 people 207,000 people 10
2010s 71,200 people 69,000 people 74,000 people 10
2020s 71,000 people 70,000 people 72,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 49 United Arab Emirates 83,000 people compare
  2. 50 Peru 81,000 people compare
  3. 51 South Africa 74,000 people compare
  4. 52 Argentina 72,000 people compare
  5. 54 Chile 69,000 people compare
  6. 55 Canada 67,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Romania?
Military personnel in Romania was 72,000 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 975,000 people in 1944.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 16,000 people in 1878.
How does Romania rank for military personnel?
Romania ranks 52nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Romania 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 — 142 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.