Sub-Saharan Africa: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa's armed forces personnel, total fell 11.2% on 2019 (from 1.95 million to 1.73 million).

Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +2.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 59.9% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.2% in 2020. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 7% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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

• Afghanistan — 165,000 (2020)
• Algeria — 326,000 (2020)
• Bahrain — 19,000 (2020)
• Djibouti — 13,000 (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 836,000 (2020)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 650,000 (2020)
• Iraq — 459,000 (2020)
• Israel — 178,000 (2020)
• Jordan — 116,000 (2020)
• Kuwait — 25,000 (2020)
• Lebanon — 80,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 23.28 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.13% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 583 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.38% (2020)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.03 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.09 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.2 (2025)
• CPIA policy and institutions for environmental sustainability rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.28 (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa's armed forces personnel, total?

1.73 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is up 82.16% from 950,830 in 1985 (1.73% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.95 million in 2019 and the lowest 950,830 in 1985.

Is the latest change in armed forces personnel, total unusual for Sub-Saharan Africa?

In 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa's armed forces personnel, total fell 11.2% on 2019 (from 1.95 million to 1.73 million). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +2.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

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.

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