Military personnel in Serbia

Serbia: Military personnel was 28,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
28,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
83rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
370,000 people
in 1955
All-time low
7,000 people
in 1878
Years of data
143
1878–2022

Military personnel in Serbia, 1878–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k187819502022

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 Serbia is 28,000 people, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Serbia peaked at 370,000 people in 1955 and was at its lowest, 7,000 people, in 1878.

Serbia ranks 83rd 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 7,000 people 7,000 people 7,000 people 2
1880s 11,400 people 7,000 people 18,000 people 10
1890s 17,100 people 10,000 people 23,000 people 10
1900s 27,500 people 22,000 people 36,000 people 10
1910s 96,700 people 30,000 people 255,000 people 10
1920s 152,400 people 110,000 people 255,000 people 10
1930s 123,800 people 104,000 people 146,000 people 10
1940s 177,000 people 149,000 people 245,000 people 8
1950s 356,300 people 245,000 people 370,000 people 10
1960s 298,700 people 250,000 people 370,000 people 10
1970s 263,400 people 257,000 people 275,000 people 10
1980s 247,700 people 225,000 people 260,000 people 10
1990s 127,600 people 100,000 people 180,000 people 10
2000s 64,100 people 24,000 people 106,000 people 10
2010s 28,300 people 28,000 people 29,000 people 10
2020s 28,000 people 28,000 people 28,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Serbia

  1. 80 Burundi 30,000 people compare
  2. 81 Laos 29,000 people compare
  3. 81 Zimbabwe 29,000 people compare
  4. 84 Cote d'Ivoire 27,000 people compare
  5. 84 Czechia 27,000 people compare
  6. 84 Portugal 27,000 people compare
  7. 84 Tanzania 27,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Serbia

All data for Serbia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Serbia?
Military personnel in Serbia was 28,000 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 Serbia?
The highest recorded value was 370,000 people in 1955.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Serbia?
The lowest recorded value was 7,000 people in 1878.
How does Serbia rank for military personnel?
Serbia ranks 83rd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Serbia?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Serbia 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 — 143 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.