Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia
Zambia: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 16,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia stood at 16,000. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia peaked at 23,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 16,000, in 1990.
Zambia ranks 113th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 16,200 | — |
| 1986 | 16,400 | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 16,600 | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 16,800 | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 17,000 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 16,000 | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 23,000 | +43.8% |
| 1996 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 19,500 | -15.2% |
| 2004 | 16,000 | -17.9% |
| 2005 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 16,500 | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16,000 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 16,100 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 16,000 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 16,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 70% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 16,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16,600 | 16,200 | 17,000 | 5 |
| 1990s | 19,500 | 16,000 | 23,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,500 | 16,000 | 23,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,360 | 16,000 | 16,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More public sector data for Zambia
- 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 6 (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 Zambia?
- Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia was 16,000 in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,000 in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled?
- Zambia ranks 113th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.