Military personnel in Singapore
Singapore: Military personnel was 51,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
51,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
61st
of 194 countries
All-time high
73,000 people
in 2005
All-time low
0 people
in 1965
Years of data
58
1965–2022
Military personnel in Singapore, 1965–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 51,000 people for military personnel in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Singapore peaked at 73,000 people in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1965.
Singapore ranks 61st of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Military personnel in Singapore, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0 people | — |
| 1966 | 0 people | — |
| 1967 | 10,000 people | — |
| 1968 | 11,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1969 | 12,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1970 | 14,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1971 | 15,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1972 | 20,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1973 | 24,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1974 | 24,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 27,000 people | +12.5% |
| 1976 | 35,000 people | +29.6% |
| 1977 | 36,000 people | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 64,000 people | +77.8% |
| 1979 | 57,000 people | -10.9% |
| 1980 | 50,000 people | -12.3% |
| 1981 | 59,000 people | +18.0% |
| 1982 | 60,000 people | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 42,000 people | -30.0% |
| 1984 | 56,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1985 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 56,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 53,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 53,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 55,000 people | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 60,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 60,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 60,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 60,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 60,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 72,000 people | +20.0% |
| 2004 | 72,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 73,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 73,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 51,000 people | -30.1% |
| 2021 | 51,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 51,000 people | +0.0% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 51,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500 people, 2.8× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 51,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 5.4× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6,600 people | 0 people | 12,000 people | 5 |
| 1970s | 31,600 people | 14,000 people | 64,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 54,700 people | 42,000 people | 60,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 56,100 people | 53,000 people | 60,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 68,900 people | 60,000 people | 73,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 73,000 people | 73,000 people | 73,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 51,000 people | 51,000 people | 51,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 59 Dominican Republic 56,000 people compare
- 60 South Sudan 53,000 people compare
- 62 Cuba 49,000 people compare
- 63 Belarus 48,000 people compare
- 63 Uzbekistan 48,000 people compare
More reference data data for Singapore
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.008 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0066 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0269 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0378 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0 (1992)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2567 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Singapore?
- Military personnel in Singapore was 51,000 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 73,000 people in 2005.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1965.
- How does Singapore rank for military personnel?
- Singapore ranks 61st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore 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 — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.