The global deployment of United Nations peacekeeping representatives reached an historic high at the end of October 2006, with 80,976 military and police personnel, in addition to 15,000 civilians serving in peace operations around the world. In the same year, the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations led 18 different missions in Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Peacekeeping personnel come from some 112 countries, as of 31 October 2006, the top 10 troop contributors were: Pakistan (9,790), Bangladesh (9,655), India (9,276), Jordan (3,819), Nepal (3,522), Ghana (2,674), Uruguay (2,583), Ethiopia (2,568), Nigeria (2,429) and South Africa (2,077).

The annual budget for peacekeeping in 2006 was $4.75 billion (£2.5 billion), excluding the financial implication of the new mission in Timor-Leste and the expansion of the mission in the Sudan.