Armed forces personnel, total in Chad
Chad: Armed forces personnel, total was 45,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Chad, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Chad stood at 45,000.
The figure is up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Chad peaked at 50,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 12,200, in 1985.
That places Chad 75th 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 Chad, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 12,200 | — |
| 1989 | 33,000 | +170.5% |
| 1990 | 50,000 | +51.5% |
| 1991 | 50,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 38,000 | -24.0% |
| 1993 | 30,000 | -21.1% |
| 1994 | 40,000 | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 34,850 | -12.9% |
| 1996 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 34,600 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 34,900 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 34,900 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 34,800 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 34,000 | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 35,000 | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 35,030 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 34,850 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 39,850 | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 39,850 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 39,850 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 35,000 | -12.2% |
| 2018 | 32,850 | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 45,000 | +37.0% |
| 2020 | 45,000 | +0.0% |
Chad compared with similar countries
- Chad's 45,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Chad's 45,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Chad 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 | +170.5% | 12,200 | 33,000 |
| 1990 | +51.5% | 33,000 | 50,000 |
| 2019 | +37.0% | 32,850 | 45,000 |
| 1994 | +33.3% | 30,000 | 40,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22,600 | 12,200 | 33,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 38,225 | 30,000 | 50,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 34,803 | 34,000 | 35,030 | 9 |
| 2010s | 37,180 | 32,850 | 45,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 45,000 | 45,000 | 45,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Chad
More public sector data for Chad
- 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 Chad?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Chad was 45,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Chad?
- The highest recorded value was 50,000 in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Chad?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,200 in 1985.
- How does Chad rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Chad ranks 75th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Chad?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chad 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.