Armed forces personnel in Congo
Congo: Armed forces personnel was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Congo, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Congo is 0.6%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Congo peaked at 1.6% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2019.
Congo ranks 109th of 171 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Congo, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.0% | — |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +7.7% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +62.1% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -12.8% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -23.5% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | — |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 0.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6%, 96% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Congo's 0.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | -100.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
| 1995 | +62.1% | 1.0% | 1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More public sector data for Congo
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 3 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Congo?
- Armed forces personnel in Congo was 0.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
- How does Congo rank for armed forces personnel?
- Congo ranks 109th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.