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Iraq and the Armies of the World

Which countries have deployed soldiers to Iraq — and how many?

December 3, 2003

Which countries have deployed soldiers to Iraq — and how many?
Coalition Troops in Iraq (as of December 2003)

 

Data Source: New York Times; U.S. Department of Defense. Copyright © 2003.

1.
The United States has by far the largest contingent of troops in Iraq, totaling roughly 132,000. During the actual war, the United States had roughly 150,000 troops on the ground in Iraq.
2.
There are around 157,600 foreign troops in Iraq from 30 different countries.
3.
In terms of the total number of foreign troops in Iraq, the United States makes up about 84% of these troops.
4.
Taken together, the United States and Britain account for over 90% of all the troops in Iraq.
5.
There are only five countries, excluding the United States and Britain, which have contributed more than 1,000 troops each — Italy (2,754), Poland (2,500), Ukraine (1,650), Spain (1,300) and the Netherlands (1,198).
6.
The vast majority of coalition countries sent well under 1,000 troops to Iraq. In fact, the remaining 23 countries only sent a total of 5,203 troops to Iraq — averaging 226 troops per country. These 23 countries supplied roughly 3.3% of all the troops in Iraq.
7.
European countries account for 18 of the 30 coalition countries. Eastern European countries were especially willing to contribute troops — as 12 of the 18 European countries that contributed troops were from Eastern Europe.
8.
The only coalition members that have sizable Muslim populations are Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Taken together, these two countries provide a total of 180 troops — or about 0.1% of the total.

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