Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia

Zambia: Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled was 16,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
16,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
113th
of 173 countries
All-time high
23,000
in 1995
All-time low
16,000
in 1990
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia, 1985–2020

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k1985200220201985: 16.2k1986: 16.4k1987: 16.6k1988: 16.8k1989: 17.0k1990: 16.0k1991: 16.0k1992: 16.0k1993: 16.0k1994: 16.0k1995: 23.0k1996: 23.0k1997: 23.0k1998: 23.0k1999: 23.0k2000: 23.0k2001: 23.0k2002: 23.0k2003: 19.5k2004: 16.0k2005: 16.0k2006: 16.0k2007: 16.0k2008: 16.0k2009: 16.5k2010: 16.5k2011: 16.5k2012: 16.5k2013: 16.5k2014: 16.5k2015: 16.5k2016: 16.5k2017: 16.0k2018: 16.1k2019: 16.0k2020: 16.0k

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

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia, 1985 to 2020.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 110 Mongolia 18,000 compare
  2. 110 Slovakia 18,000 compare
  3. 112 Tajikistan 17,000 compare
  4. 113 Ghana 16,000 compare
  5. 113 North Macedonia 16,000 compare
  6. 113 Namibia 16,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

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.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

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

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/zambia/">Armed forces personnel, total, gaps filled in Zambia</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.