Armed forces personnel, total

Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability.

ARMED_FORCES_PERSONNEL_TOTAL · raw · annual · people

Military personnel scale

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Armed forces personnel, total

Military personnel scale

Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability.

Data and evidence

Armed forces personnel, total

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Values and evidence for Iran (Islamic Republic of). Unavailable values are gaps, not zero.
Period	Value	Status	Provenance & calculation
1990	440,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95555 · revision 1 Value 440000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 440000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1991	465,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95554 · revision 1 Value 465000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 465000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1992	528,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95553 · revision 1 Value 528000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 528000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1993	528,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95552 · revision 1 Value 528000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 528000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1994	528,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95551 · revision 1 Value 528000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 528000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1995	763,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95550 · revision 1 Value 763000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 763000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1996	863,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95549 · revision 1 Value 863000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 863000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1997	868,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95548 · revision 1 Value 868000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 868000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1998	820,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95547 · revision 1 Value 820000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 820000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
1999	785,600 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95546 · revision 1 Value 785600.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 785600.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2000	753,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95545 · revision 1 Value 753000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 753000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2001	553,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95544 · revision 1 Value 553000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 553000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2002	560,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95543 · revision 1 Value 560000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 560000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2003	580,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95542 · revision 1 Value 580000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 580000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2004	460,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95541 · revision 1 Value 460000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 460000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2005	585,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95540 · revision 1 Value 585000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 585000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2006	585,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95539 · revision 1 Value 585000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 585000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2007	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95538 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2008	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95537 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2009	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95536 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2010	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95535 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2011	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95534 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2012	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95533 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2013	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95532 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2014	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95531 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2015	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95530 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2016	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95529 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2017	563,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95528 · revision 1 Value 563000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 563000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2018	650,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95527 · revision 1 Value 650000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 650000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2019	650,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95526 · revision 1 Value 650000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 650000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2020	650,000 people	available	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95525 · revision 1 Value 650000.0000000000 · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: 650000.0000000000 · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2021	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95524 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2022	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95523 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2023	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95522 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2024	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95521 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified
2025	Unavailable people	missing	Inspect evidence World Bank — World Development Indicators · observation #95520 · revision 1 Value Missing · reported · Published Unknown · Retrieved 2026-10-17 Source reference Active-duty military personnel reported through World Bank from The Military Balance. Personnel totals measure force scale, not readiness or capability. Provider world_bank · indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1 · dataset 2 · reported Dataset updated 2026-10-08 (not observation publication date) Revision history Revision 1: Missing · Initial observation · 2026-10-17 04:47:59 · source revision unspecified

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