Armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Armed forces personnel, total was 1.73 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa is 1.73 million, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 1.95 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 950,830, in 1985.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 33rd of 46 groups 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.09 million | 950,830 | 1.24 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.40 million | 1.06 million | 1.70 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.57 million | 1.50 million | 1.73 million | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.84 million | 1.68 million | 1.95 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.73 million | 1.73 million | 1.73 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Arms imports 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Taxes on income, profits and capital gains 27.8% (2023)
- Taxes on goods and services 32.4% (2023)
- Interest payments 13.6% (2023)
- Grants and other revenue 21.0% (2023)
- Interest payments 10.2% (2021)
- Other taxes 0.9% (2021)
- Compensation of employees 35.9% (2021)
- Goods and services expense 19.7% (2021)
- Taxes on international trade 10.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.73 million in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.95 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 950,830 in 1985.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 33rd out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.