Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 9,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
9,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
136th
of 173 countries
All-time high
15,800
in 1997
All-time low
3,100
in 1985
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone, 1985–2020

5.0k10.0k15.0k1985200220201985: 3.1k1986: 3.3k1987: 3.5k1988: 3.8k1989: 4.0k1990: 5.0k1991: 5.0k1992: 8.0k1993: 5.0k1994: 5.0k1995: 7.0k1996: 15.0k1997: 15.8k1998: 5.8k1999: 3.8k2000: 3.8k2001: 6.0k2002: 13.0k2003: 13.0k2004: 13.0k2005: 13.0k2006: 11.0k2007: 11.0k2008: 11.0k2009: 10.5k2010: 10.5k2011: 10.5k2012: 10.5k2013: 10.5k2014: 8.5k2015: 8.5k2016: 8.5k2017: 9.0k2018: 8.5k2019: 9.0k2020: 9.0k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

Sierra Leone recorded 9,000 for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in 2020.

That represents a change of down 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone peaked at 15,800 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3,100, in 1985.

That places Sierra Leone 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone, 1985 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1985 3,100
1986 3,325 +7.3%
1987 3,550 +6.8%
1988 3,775 +6.3%
1989 4,000 +6.0%
1990 5,000 +25.0%
1991 5,000 +0.0%
1992 8,000 +60.0%
1993 5,000 -37.5%
1994 5,000 +0.0%
1995 7,000 +40.0%
1996 15,000 +114.3%
1997 15,800 +5.3%
1998 5,800 -63.3%
1999 3,800 -34.5%
2000 3,800 +0.0%
2001 6,000 +57.9%
2002 13,000 +116.7%
2003 13,000 +0.0%
2004 13,000 +0.0%
2005 13,000 +0.0%
2006 11,000 -15.4%
2007 11,000 +0.0%
2008 11,000 +0.0%
2009 10,500 -4.5%
2010 10,500 +0.0%
2011 10,500 +0.0%
2012 10,500 +0.0%
2013 10,500 +0.0%
2014 8,500 -19.0%
2015 8,500 +0.0%
2016 8,500 +0.0%
2017 9,000 +5.9%
2018 8,500 -5.6%
2019 9,000 +5.9%
2020 9,000 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3,550 3,100 4,000 5
1990s 7,540 3,800 15,800 10
2000s 10,530 3,800 13,000 10
2010s 9,400 8,500 10,500 10
2020s 9,000 9,000 9,000 1

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 136 Botswana 9,000 compare
  2. 136 Ireland 9,000 compare
  3. 136 Latvia 9,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone?
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone was 9,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 15,800 in 1997.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 3,100 in 1985.
How does Sierra Leone rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
Sierra Leone ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sierra Leone 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.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/sierra-leone/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-gaps-filled/sierra-leone/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sierra Leone</a> — Statizoid

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

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

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.