Military personnel in Thailand

Thailand: Military personnel was 361,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
361,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
15th
of 194 countries
All-time high
361,000 people
in 2013
All-time low
4,000 people
in 1901
Years of data
130
1887–2022

Military personnel in Thailand, 1887–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k188719542022

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

Analysis

Thailand recorded 361,000 people for military personnel in 2022. That is the highest value across all 130 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Thailand peaked at 361,000 people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 4,000 people, in 1901.

That places Thailand 15th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1880s 15,000 people 15,000 people 15,000 people 3
1890s 8,600 people 5,000 people 15,000 people 10
1900s 18,200 people 4,000 people 31,000 people 10
1910s 30,900 people 25,000 people 32,000 people 10
1920s 25,900 people 24,000 people 28,000 people 10
1930s 30,500 people 27,000 people 38,000 people 10
1940s 44,000 people 44,000 people 44,000 people 4
1950s 61,600 people 44,000 people 100,000 people 10
1960s 120,600 people 80,000 people 175,000 people 10
1970s 221,400 people 175,000 people 250,000 people 10
1980s 248,800 people 233,000 people 283,000 people 10
1990s 287,800 people 280,000 people 300,000 people 10
2000s 307,100 people 301,000 people 314,000 people 10
2010s 344,500 people 306,000 people 361,000 people 10
2020s 361,000 people 361,000 people 361,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Thailand

  1. 12 Egypt 439,000 people compare
  2. 13 Indonesia 396,000 people compare
  3. 14 Brazil 367,000 people compare
  4. 16 Myanmar 356,000 people compare
  5. 17 Turkey 355,000 people compare
  6. 18 Eritrea 302,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Thailand

All data for Thailand →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Thailand?
Military personnel in Thailand was 361,000 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 Thailand?
The highest recorded value was 361,000 people in 2013.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Thailand?
The lowest recorded value was 4,000 people in 1901.
How does Thailand rank for military personnel?
Thailand ranks 15th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Thailand?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Thailand 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 — 130 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.