Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 134,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 134,000 for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 159,000 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 40,000, in 1993.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 48,000 | — |
| 1986 | 48,750 | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 49,500 | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 50,250 | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 51,000 | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 55,000 | +7.8% |
| 1991 | 60,000 | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 45,000 | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 40,000 | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 65,100 | +62.7% |
| 1996 | 65,100 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 77,000 | +18.3% |
| 1998 | 87,000 | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 92,900 | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 92,900 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 81,400 | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 81,400 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 97,800 | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 64,000 | -34.6% |
| 2005 | 65,000 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 104,000 | +60.0% |
| 2007 | 143,000 | +37.5% |
| 2008 | 151,000 | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 159,000 | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 159,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 134,250 | -15.6% |
| 2012 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 134,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 134,250 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 134,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 134,000 | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 3.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 8.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +62.7% | 40,000 | 65,100 |
| 2006 | +60.0% | 65,000 | 104,000 |
| 2007 | +37.5% | 104,000 | 143,000 |
| 2004 | -34.6% | 97,800 | 64,000 |
| 1992 | -25.0% | 60,000 | 45,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49,500 | 48,000 | 51,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 62,710 | 40,000 | 92,900 | 10 |
| 2000s | 103,950 | 64,000 | 159,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 136,675 | 134,000 | 159,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 134,000 | 134,000 | 134,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More public sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Democracy, 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)
- Men's universal right to vote, 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, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo was 134,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 159,000 in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 40,000 in 1993.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
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.
Computed from
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
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.