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.
Armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 950,830 | — |
| 1989 | 1.24 million | +30.2% |
| 1990 | 1.26 million | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 1.15 million | -8.6% |
| 1992 | 1.08 million | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 1.12 million | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 1.06 million | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.70 million | +59.9% |
| 1996 | 1.66 million | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 1.62 million | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 1.64 million | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 1.70 million | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 1.73 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 1.64 million | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 1.61 million | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 1.54 million | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 1.50 million | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.53 million | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 1.53 million | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 1.53 million | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 1.56 million | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.68 million | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 1.86 million | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 1.86 million | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.85 million | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.89 million | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.92 million | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 1.80 million | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 1.79 million | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.84 million | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 1.95 million | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 1.73 million | -11.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Sub-Saharan Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +59.9% | 1.06 million | 1.70 million |
| 1989 | +30.2% | 950,830 | 1.24 million |
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)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.5807 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 25.82 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 731.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 16.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0109 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate -6.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 21.67 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 30.58 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (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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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.