The Biggest Contributors to UN Peacekeeping Operations.

Byline: Anna Fleck

More than two million men and women have served on more than 70 UN peacekeeping missions since 1948, 12 of which are still active today. Peacekeepers monitor peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist with the implementation of peace agreements and the protection of civilians.

The UN states that Bangladesh was the top contributing country in terms of personnel deployed globally as of May 2023 with 7,278 peacekeepers, while Nepal provided the second largest contribution with 6,231 and India ranked third with 6,089. There were 76,694 uniformed personnel deployed worldwide on peacemissions, the majority of whom (65,607) were troops.

While richer nations such as the United States (27.89 percent), China (15.21 percent), Japan (8.56 percent) and Germany (6.09 percent) contribute the most money to peacekeeping operations, this chart highlights their relative absence when it comes to sending people on these sometimes deadly missions. According to analysts at PassBlue, reasons it is generally poorer countries of the Global South who are sending the most personnel include not only financial benefits (the countries supplying peacekeeping soldiers are paid per person), but also...