Military personnel in Venezuela

Venezuela: Military personnel was 123,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
123,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
41st
of 194 countries
All-time high
123,000 people
in 2018
All-time low
2,000 people
in 1881
Years of data
166
1857–2022

Military personnel in Venezuela, 1857–2022

025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k185719392022

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 Venezuela stood at 123,000 people. That is the highest value across all 166 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Venezuela peaked at 123,000 people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2,000 people, in 1881.

Venezuela ranks 41st of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 10,000 people 10,000 people 10,000 people 3
1860s 9,000 people 5,000 people 10,000 people 10
1870s 7,600 people 5,000 people 14,000 people 10
1880s 3,500 people 2,000 people 12,000 people 10
1890s 4,900 people 2,000 people 7,000 people 10
1900s 8,700 people 4,000 people 10,000 people 10
1910s 9,800 people 8,000 people 10,000 people 10
1920s 7,700 people 6,000 people 10,000 people 10
1930s 5,400 people 2,000 people 7,000 people 10
1940s 2,000 people 2,000 people 2,000 people 10
1950s 7,600 people 2,000 people 23,000 people 10
1960s 34,700 people 21,000 people 50,000 people 10
1970s 51,000 people 45,000 people 55,000 people 10
1980s 64,500 people 55,000 people 75,000 people 10
1990s 74,800 people 73,000 people 75,000 people 10
2000s 86,000 people 56,000 people 115,000 people 10
2010s 116,600 people 115,000 people 123,000 people 10
2020s 123,000 people 123,000 people 123,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Venezuela

  1. 38 Greece 132,000 people compare
  2. 39 Cambodia 124,000 people compare
  3. 39 Spain 124,000 people compare
  4. 42 Poland 114,000 people compare
  5. 43 Malaysia 113,000 people compare
  6. 44 Angola 107,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Venezuela

All data for Venezuela →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Venezuela?
Military personnel in Venezuela was 123,000 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 Venezuela?
The highest recorded value was 123,000 people in 2018.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Venezuela?
The lowest recorded value was 2,000 people in 1881.
How does Venezuela rank for military personnel?
Venezuela ranks 41st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Venezuela?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Venezuela 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 — 166 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.