Ecuador - Armed forces personnel, total

The value for Armed forces personnel, total in Ecuador was 42,000 as of 2019. As the graph below shows, over the past 34 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 59,800 in 2003 and a minimum value of 40,750 in 2014.

Definition: Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance.

See also:

Year Value
1985 42,500
1989 46,000
1990 53,000
1991 53,000
1992 57,000
1993 57,000
1994 57,000
1995 57,400
1996 57,400
1997 57,370
1998 57,370
1999 57,370
2000 57,800
2001 59,800
2002 59,800
2003 59,800
2004 46,270
2005 47,270
2006 57,400
2007 58,400
2008 58,400
2009 58,983
2010 58,983
2011 58,983
2012 58,500
2013 58,983
2014 40,750
2015 40,750
2016 40,750
2017 41,000
2018 41,250
2019 42,000

Development Relevance: Although national defense is an important function of government and security from external threats that contributes to economic development, high military expenditures for defense or civil conflicts burden the economy and may impede growth. Data on military expenditures are a rough indicator of the portion of national resources used for military activities and of the burden on the economy. Comparisons of military spending among countries should take into account the many factors that influence perceptions of vulnerability and risk, including historical and cultural traditions, the length of borders that need defending, the quality of relations with neighbors, and the role of the armed forces in the body politic.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data excludes personnel not on active duty, therefore it underestimates the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. The cooperation of governments of all countries listed in “The Military Balance” has been sought by IISS and, in many cases, received. However, some data in “The Military Balance” is estimated.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Military data on manpower represent quantitative assessment of the personnel strengths of the world's armed forces. The IISS collects the data from a wide variety of sources. The numbers are based on the most accurate data available to, or on the best estimate that can be made by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at the time of its annual publication. The current WDI indicator includes active armed forces and active paramilitary (but not reservists). Armed forces personnel comprise all servicemen and women on full-time duty, including conscripts and long-term assignments from the Reserves (“Reserve” describes formations and units not fully manned or operational in peacetime, but which can be mobilized by recalling reservists in an emergency). The indicator includes paramilitary forces. The source of the data (IISS) reports armed forces and paramilitary forces separately, however these figures are added for the purpose of computing this series. Home Guard units are counted as paramilitary.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

Classification

Topic: Public Sector Indicators

Sub-Topic: Defense & arms trade