Burkina Faso vs Rwanda
Burkina Faso vs Rwanda: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 11,000 people in Burkina Faso and 35,000 people in Rwanda, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Rwanda, by 24,000 people, or 3.18 times that in Burkina Faso.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Rwanda has been higher since 1991, when it overtook Burkina Faso.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Burkina Faso | Rwanda | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 11,000 | 35,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 11,000 | 35,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 11,200 | 35,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 11,000 | 35,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 11,450 | 35,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 11,250 | 35,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 11,250 | 35,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | – | – | 27 million |
| 2005 | 11,250 | 53,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 10,250 | 53,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 15,000 | 61,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 14,400 | 80,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 14,200 | 79,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 11,300 | 76,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 10,300 | 54,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 10,250 | 54,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 10,000 | 62,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 10,300 | 40,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 10,300 | 47,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 9,000 | 30,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 9,000 | 30,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 9,000 | 30,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 10,000 | 30,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 10,000 | 6,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 8,000 | 6,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 4,000 | 5,200 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 9,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1983 | 9,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1982 | 9,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1981 | 8,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1980 | 5,000 | 5,000 | – |
| 1979 | 4,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1978 | 6,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1977 | 6,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1976 | 10,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1975 | 5,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1974 | 5,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1973 | 5,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1972 | 5,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1971 | 4,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1970 | 4,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1969 | 4,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1968 | 3,000 | 4,000 | – |
| 1967 | 3,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1966 | 3,000 | 3,000 | – |
| 1965 | 3,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1964 | 3,000 | 2,000 | – |
| 1963 | 2,000 | 1,000 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | 1,000 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Burkina Faso vs Rwanda
Health
- Life expectancyBurkina Faso: 61.1 years in 2023Rwanda: 67.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBurkina Faso: 7.5 per 100 live births in 2024Rwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 52.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Rwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBurkina Faso: 3.69% in 2017Rwanda: 3.87% in 2017
- Suicide rateBurkina Faso: 13.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Rwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBurkina Faso: 23 million people in 2023Rwanda: 14 million people in 2023
- Population growthBurkina Faso: 2.26% a year in 2023Rwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 4.19 births per woman in 2023Rwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBurkina Faso: 28.9% in 2025Rwanda: 30.9% in 2025
- Median ageBurkina Faso: 17.3 years in 2023Rwanda: 19.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBurkina Faso: 2.6% in 2023Rwanda: 3.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateBurkina Faso: -1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Rwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBurkina Faso: 3.3% of GDP in 2025Rwanda: 1.29% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBurkina Faso: $844M in 2025Rwanda: $194M in 2025
- Military spending per personBurkina Faso: $37 in 2025Rwanda: $13 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBurkina Faso: 13.2% of government spending in 2025Rwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- National powerBurkina Faso: 0.09% of world capability in 2022Rwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBurkina Faso: 0.12% of the labour force in 2020Rwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBurkina Faso: 34 million TIV in 2025Rwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023