Armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon
Cameroon: Armed forces personnel, total was 34,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 34,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.
That represents a change of up 46.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon peaked at 34,400 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7,300, in 1985.
That places Cameroon 85th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7,300 | — |
| 1989 | 21,000 | +187.7% |
| 1990 | 23,000 | +9.5% |
| 1991 | 24,000 | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 12,000 | -50.0% |
| 1993 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 23,600 | +96.7% |
| 1996 | 22,100 | -6.4% |
| 1997 | 22,100 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 22,100 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 22,100 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 22,100 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 31,100 | +40.7% |
| 2002 | 32,100 | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 32,100 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 23,000 | -28.3% |
| 2005 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 23,100 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 23,200 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 23,100 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 23,200 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 23,200 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 23,200 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 23,400 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 23,400 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 24,000 | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 34,400 | +43.3% |
| 2019 | 34,000 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 34,000 | +0.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 34,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 1.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 34,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +187.7% | 7,300 | 21,000 |
| 1995 | +96.7% | 12,000 | 23,600 |
| 1992 | -50.0% | 24,000 | 12,000 |
| 2018 | +43.3% | 24,000 | 34,400 |
| 2001 | +40.7% | 22,100 | 31,100 |
| 2004 | -28.3% | 32,100 | 23,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14,150 | 7,300 | 21,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 19,500 | 12,000 | 24,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,833 | 22,100 | 32,100 | 9 |
| 2010s | 25,510 | 23,100 | 34,400 | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,000 | 34,000 | 34,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More public sector data for Cameroon
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, 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)
- 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 in Cameroon?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Cameroon was 34,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 34,400 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,300 in 1985.
- How does Cameroon rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Cameroon ranks 85th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.