Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 1.73 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 1.73 million.
That represents a change of down 11.2% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 1.95 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 950,830, in 1985.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 31st out of 43 groups with data for 2020, putting it 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 950,830 | — |
| 1986 | 1.02 million | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 1.09 million | +7.0% |
| 1988 | 1.17 million | +6.6% |
| 1989 | 1.24 million | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 1.26 million | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.15 million | -8.6% |
| 1992 | 1.08 million | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 1.12 million | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 1.06 million | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.70 million | +59.9% |
| 1996 | 1.66 million | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 1.62 million | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 1.64 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.70 million | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 1.73 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.64 million | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 1.61 million | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 1.54 million | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 1.50 million | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.53 million | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 1.53 million | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.53 million | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.53 million | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.56 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.68 million | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 1.86 million | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 1.86 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.85 million | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.89 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.92 million | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 1.80 million | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 1.79 million | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.84 million | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 1.95 million | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 1.73 million | -11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.09 million | 950,830 | 1.24 million | 5 |
| 1990s | 1.40 million | 1.06 million | 1.70 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.57 million | 1.50 million | 1.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.84 million | 1.68 million | 1.95 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.73 million | 1.73 million | 1.73 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Arms imports 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.5807 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 25.82 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 16.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 21.67 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 30.58 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.73 million in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.95 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 950,830 in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 31st out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.