Armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed forces personnel, total was 134,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
134,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
46th
of 173 countries
All-time high
159,000
in 2009
All-time low
40,000
in 1993
Years of data
32
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1985–2020

50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k150.0k1985200220201985: 48.0k1989: 51.0k1990: 55.0k1991: 60.0k1992: 45.0k1993: 40.0k1994: 40.0k1995: 65.1k1996: 65.1k1997: 77.0k1998: 87.0k1999: 92.9k2000: 92.9k2001: 81.4k2002: 81.4k2003: 97.8k2004: 64.0k2005: 65.0k2007: 143.0k2008: 151.0k2009: 159.0k2010: 159.0k2011: 134.2k2012: 134.2k2013: 134.2k2014: 134.2k2015: 134.2k2016: 134.2k2017: 134.0k2018: 134.2k2019: 134.0k2020: 134.0k

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 134,000.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 15.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 159,000 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 40,000, in 1993.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 49,500 48,000 51,000 2
1990s 62,710 40,000 92,900 10
2000s 103,944 64,000 159,000 9
2010s 136,675 134,000 159,000 10
2020s 134,000 134,000 134,000 1

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 43 Sudan 144,000 compare
  2. 44 Ethiopia 138,000 compare
  3. 45 Malaysia 136,000 compare
  4. 47 Laos 129,000 compare
  5. 48 Romania 128,000 compare
  6. 49 Angola 117,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Armed forces personnel, total in Democratic Republic of Congo was 134,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 159,000 in 2009.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 40,000 in 1993.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.