Military personnel in Uruguay

Uruguay: Military personnel was 21,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
21,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 194 countries
All-time high
30,000 people
in 1983
All-time low
2,000 people
in 1882
Years of data
135
1882–2022

Military personnel in Uruguay, 1882–2022

010.0k20.0k30.0k188219522022

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

Analysis

In 2022, military personnel in Uruguay stood at 21,000 people.

The figure is down 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Uruguay peaked at 30,000 people in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2,000 people, in 1882.

That places Uruguay 95th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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
1880s 3,375 people 2,000 people 5,000 people 8
1890s 3,100 people 3,000 people 4,000 people 10
1900s 5,100 people 3,000 people 7,000 people 10
1910s 8,900 people 5,000 people 11,000 people 10
1920s 11,500 people 9,000 people 17,000 people 10
1930s 8,600 people 8,000 people 9,000 people 10
1940s 6,000 people 6,000 people 6,000 people 4
1950s 6,300 people 6,000 people 7,000 people 10
1960s 14,600 people 7,000 people 20,000 people 10
1970s 23,900 people 18,000 people 28,000 people 10
1980s 28,900 people 27,000 people 30,000 people 10
1990s 24,900 people 24,000 people 25,000 people 10
2000s 24,300 people 24,000 people 25,000 people 10
2010s 24,600 people 21,000 people 25,000 people 10
2020s 21,000 people 21,000 people 21,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 92 Austria 23,000 people compare
  2. 92 Belgium 23,000 people compare
  3. 92 Lithuania 23,000 people compare
  4. 95 Georgia 21,000 people compare
  5. 95 Mali 21,000 people compare
  6. 98 Switzerland 20,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Uruguay?
Military personnel in Uruguay was 21,000 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 30,000 people in 1983.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 2,000 people in 1882.
How does Uruguay rank for military personnel?
Uruguay ranks 95th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Uruguay 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 — 135 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.