Armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: Armed forces personnel, total was 4,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau is 4,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau peaked at 14,200 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4,000, in 2017.
Guinea-Bissau ranks 149th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8,550 | — |
| 1989 | 10,000 | +17.0% |
| 1990 | 12,000 | +20.0% |
| 1991 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 11,000 | -8.3% |
| 1993 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7,000 | -36.4% |
| 1995 | 9,200 | +31.4% |
| 1996 | 9,300 | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 9,250 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 9,250 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 9,300 | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 9,300 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 11,300 | +21.5% |
| 2002 | 11,300 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14,200 | +25.7% |
| 2004 | 9,000 | -36.6% |
| 2005 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6,000 | -33.3% |
| 2009 | 6,458 | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 6,458 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6,450 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 6,450 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6,450 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6,450 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4,450 | -31.0% |
| 2016 | 4,450 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4,000 | -10.1% |
| 2018 | 4,450 | +11.2% |
| 2019 | 4,000 | -10.1% |
| 2020 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
Guinea-Bissau compared with similar countries
- Guinea-Bissau's 4,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 11% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Guinea-Bissau's 4,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 25% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -36.6% | 14,200 | 9,000 |
| 1994 | -36.4% | 11,000 | 7,000 |
| 2008 | -33.3% | 9,000 | 6,000 |
| 1995 | +31.4% | 7,000 | 9,200 |
| 2015 | -31.0% | 6,450 | 4,450 |
| 2003 | +25.7% | 11,300 | 14,200 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9,275 | 8,550 | 10,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 9,930 | 7,000 | 12,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,456 | 6,000 | 14,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,361 | 4,000 | 6,458 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guinea-Bissau
- 148 Trinidad and Tobago 5,000 compare
- 149 Fiji 4,000 compare
- 149 Gambia 4,000 compare
- 149 Papua New Guinea 4,000 compare
More public sector data for Guinea-Bissau
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % 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 -100 % change on previous year (2023)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2023)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Guinea-Bissau was 4,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
- The highest recorded value was 14,200 in 2003.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 in 2017.
- How does Guinea-Bissau rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Guinea-Bissau ranks 149th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Guinea-Bissau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guinea-Bissau 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.