Armed forces personnel in Kenya
Kenya: Armed forces personnel was 0.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Kenya, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 0.1% for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.8% on the previous year and down 33.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Kenya peaked at 0.3% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2020.
Kenya ranks 163rd of 171 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.2% | — |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +15.9% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | -11.4% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +28.3% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -10.4% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -18.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More public sector data for Kenya
- Arms imports 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.3012 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -75 % change on previous year (2022)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 17.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 21.82 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0102 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 16.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.23 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 1.72 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Kenya?
- Armed forces personnel in Kenya was 0.1% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for armed forces personnel?
- Kenya ranks 163rd out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.
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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.