Spain vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled

Spain
199,000
in 2020
Sub-Saharan Africa
1.73 million
in 2020
Spain rank
32nd
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
31st

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled over time

  • Spain
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M198520022020

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 1.73 million against 199,000 in Spain, a difference of 1.53 million.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 8.7 times Spain's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

Spain ranks 32nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 173 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Spain Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 298,500 1.09 million 795,916 Sub-Saharan Africa
1990s 249,312 1.40 million 1.15 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 226,112 1.57 million 1.34 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2010s 205,772 1.84 million 1.64 million Sub-Saharan Africa
2020s 199,000 1.73 million 1.53 million Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled, Spain or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 1.73 million against 199,000 in Spain as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled between Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa?
1.53 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa?
36 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Spain ranks 32nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Spain vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/spain/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
219 places, 7,420 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel, total with 597 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.