Burkina Faso: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Burkina Faso's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 11,000 to 11,000).

Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 10.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 25.7% in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.7% in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about 59.39 a year. A straight line explains 70% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Burkina Faso had the 128th highest value of the 170 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Burkina Faso in the 2020 ranking

• Montenegro — 126th of 170: 12,000
• Nicaragua — 127th of 170: 12,000
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 128th of 170: 11,000
• Mozambique — 130th of 170: 11,000
• Central African Republic — 131st of 170: 10,000
• Costa Rica — 132nd of 170: 10,000

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Data excludes personnel not on active duty, therefore it underestimates the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. The cooperation of governments of all countries listed in “The Military Balance” has been sought by IISS and, in many cases, received. However, some data in “The Military Balance” is estimated.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 32 values

Armed forces personnel, total in nearby economies

• Angola — 117,000 (2020)
• Benin — 12,000 (2020)
• Botswana — 9,000 (2020)
• Burundi — 31,000 (2020)
• Cabo Verde — 1,000 (2020)
• Cameroon — 34,000 (2020)
• Central African Republic — 10,000 (2020)
• Chad — 45,000 (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 134,000 (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — 12,000 (2020)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 27,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Burkina Faso

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 891.56 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 518.42 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.3% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 34 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 13.21% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.12% (2020)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 137.43 billion (2024)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 0.98% (2024)
• Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's armed forces personnel, total?

11,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 175% from 4,000 in 1985 (2.93% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 15,000 in 2003 and the lowest 4,000 in 1985.

How does Burkina Faso rank?

128th highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in armed forces personnel, total unusual for Burkina Faso?

In 2020, Burkina Faso's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 11,000 to 11,000). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +1.7% and a typical year strayed about 10.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.