Armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea
Eritrea: Armed forces personnel, total was 202,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea, 1993–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
Eritrea recorded 202,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea peaked at 202,000 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 46,000, in 1997.
That places Eritrea 31st out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 55,000 | — |
| 1994 | 55,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 55,000 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 55,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 46,000 | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 47,100 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 200,000 | +324.6% |
| 2000 | 200,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 171,900 | -14.1% |
| 2002 | 172,200 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 202,000 | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 201,000 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 202,000 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 202,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 202,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 201,750 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 201,750 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 202,000 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 201,750 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 202,000 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 202,000 | +0.0% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 202,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 5.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 202,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 12.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 73,300 | 46,000 | 200,000 | 7 |
| 2000s | 194,983 | 171,900 | 202,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 201,800 | 201,750 | 202,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 202,000 | 202,000 | 202,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More public sector data for Eritrea
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (1962)
- 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)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (1962)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Eritrea was 202,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 202,000 in 2003.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 46,000 in 1997.
- How does Eritrea rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Eritrea ranks 31st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.