Military personnel in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Military personnel was 83,000 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
83,000
Change on year
up 31.7%
World rank
49th
of 194 countries
All-time high
83,000
in 2022
All-time low
2,000
in 1971
Years of data
52
1971–2022

Military personnel in United Arab Emirates, 1971–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k197119962022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in United Arab Emirates is 83,000, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

The figure is up 31.7% on the previous year and up 62.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in United Arab Emirates peaked at 83,000 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2,000, in 1971.

That places United Arab Emirates 49th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Military personnel in United Arab Emirates, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in United Arab Emirates, 1971 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1971 2,000 —
1972 10,000 +400.0%
1973 11,000 +10.0%
1974 19,000 +72.7%
1975 21,000 +10.5%
1976 27,000 +28.6%
1977 25,000 -7.4%
1978 25,000 +0.0%
1979 25,000 +0.0%
1980 44,000 +76.0%
1981 44,000 +0.0%
1982 44,000 +0.0%
1983 44,000 +0.0%
1984 44,000 +0.0%
1985 44,000 +0.0%
1986 44,000 +0.0%
1987 44,000 +0.0%
1988 43,000 -2.3%
1989 43,000 +0.0%
1990 66,000 +53.5%
1991 66,000 +0.0%
1992 55,000 -16.7%
1993 55,000 +0.0%
1994 60,000 +9.1%
1995 60,000 +0.0%
1996 60,000 +0.0%
1997 60,000 +0.0%
1998 65,000 +8.3%
1999 65,000 +0.0%
2000 65,000 +0.0%
2001 65,000 +0.0%
2002 42,000 -35.4%
2003 50,000 +19.0%
2004 50,000 +0.0%
2005 51,000 +2.0%
2006 51,000 +0.0%
2007 51,000 +0.0%
2008 51,000 +0.0%
2009 51,000 +0.0%
2010 51,000 +0.0%
2011 51,000 +0.0%
2012 51,000 +0.0%
2013 51,000 +0.0%
2014 51,000 +0.0%
2015 63,000 +23.5%
2016 63,000 +0.0%
2017 63,000 +0.0%
2018 63,000 +0.0%
2019 63,000 +0.0%
2020 63,000 +0.0%
2021 63,000 +0.0%
2022 83,000 +31.7%

United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries

  • United Arab Emirates's 83,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 18,500, 4.5× the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • United Arab Emirates's 83,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500, 91% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 18,333 2,000 27,000 9
1980s 43,800 43,000 44,000 10
1990s 61,200 55,000 66,000 10
2000s 52,700 42,000 65,000 10
2010s 57,000 51,000 63,000 10
2020s 69,667 63,000 83,000 3

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 46 Jordan 101,000 compare
  2. 47 Afghanistan 100,000 compare
  3. 48 Nepal 97,000 compare
  4. 50 Peru 81,000 compare
  5. 51 South Africa 74,000 compare
  6. 52 Argentina 72,000 compare
  7. 52 Romania 72,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in United Arab Emirates?
Military personnel in United Arab Emirates was 83,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 83,000 in 2022.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 2,000 in 1971.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for military personnel?
United Arab Emirates ranks 49th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel in United Arab Emirates. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/united-arab-emirates/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed