South Africa vs United Kingdom
South Africa vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 89,000 people in South Africa and 153,000 people in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 64,000 people, or 1.72 times that in South Africa.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- United Kingdom has been higher since 1997, when it overtook South Africa.
- In 2020, South Africa ranked 54 and United Kingdom ranked 41 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | South Africa | United Kingdom | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 89,000 | 153,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 90,000 | 149,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 89,650 | 148,500 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 80,000 | 148,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 81,400 | 150,300 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 82,150 | 152,400 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 82,250 | 154,700 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 77,150 | 159,200 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 62,100 | 169,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 77,580 | 165,700 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 77,150 | 174,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 77,150 | 178,500 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 62,000 | 160,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 62,000 | 160,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 103,000 | 181,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 56,000 | 217,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 55,000 | 205,000 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 55,700 | 212,600 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 60,000 | 210,400 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 67,000 | 211,400 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 71,600 | 212,500 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 78,150 | 218,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 211,700 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 217,400 | 218,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 277,900 | 221,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 276,900 | 233,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 75,000 | 257,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 75,000 | 271,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 75,000 | 293,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 80,000 | 301,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 85,000 | 308,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 100,000 | 318,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 106,400 | 334,000 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 97,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1983 | 77,000 | 333,000 | – |
| 1982 | 78,000 | 335,000 | – |
| 1981 | 78,000 | 341,000 | – |
| 1980 | 70,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1979 | 70,000 | 324,000 | – |
| 1978 | 78,000 | 320,000 | – |
| 1977 | 67,000 | 326,000 | – |
| 1976 | 59,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1975 | 50,000 | 348,000 | – |
| 1974 | 45,000 | 359,000 | – |
| 1973 | 40,000 | 377,000 | – |
| 1972 | 75,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1971 | 60,000 | 370,000 | – |
| 1970 | 40,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1969 | 55,000 | 390,000 | – |
| 1968 | 55,000 | 410,000 | – |
| 1967 | 50,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1966 | 50,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1965 | 55,000 | 425,000 | – |
| 1964 | 50,000 | 435,000 | – |
| 1963 | 45,000 | 450,000 | – |
| 1962 | 24,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1961 | 24,000 | 475,000 | – |
| 1960 | 22,000 | 519,000 | – |
| 1959 | 21,000 | 565,000 | – |
| 1958 | 20,000 | 614,000 | – |
| 1957 | 19,000 | 702,000 | – |
| 1956 | 17,000 | 761,000 | – |
| 1955 | 16,000 | 809,000 | – |
| 1954 | 15,000 | 839,000 | – |
| 1953 | 14,000 | 865,000 | – |
| 1952 | 13,000 | 872,000 | – |
| 1951 | 11,000 | 826,000 | – |
| 1950 | 10,000 | 689,000 | – |
| 1949 | 9,000 | 770,000 | – |
| 1948 | 10,000 | 847,000 | – |
| 1947 | 30,000 | 1.3 million | – |
| 1946 | 40,000 | 2.05 million | – |
| 1945 | – | 5.09 million | – |
| 1944 | 140,000 | 4.9 million | – |
| 1943 | 140,000 | 4.15 million | – |
| 1942 | – | 3.39 million | – |
| 1941 | 120,000 | 2.3 million | – |
| 1940 | – | 1.02 million | – |
| 1939 | 5,000 | 394,000 | – |
| 1938 | 4,000 | 376,000 | – |
| 1937 | 4,000 | 350,000 | – |
| 1936 | 4,000 | 336,000 | – |
| 1935 | 4,000 | 321,000 | – |
| 1934 | 3,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1933 | 2,000 | 316,000 | – |
| 1932 | 2,000 | 317,000 | – |
| 1931 | 2,000 | 319,000 | – |
| 1930 | 1,000 | 318,000 | – |
| 1929 | 2,000 | 325,000 | – |
| 1928 | 2,000 | 330,000 | – |
| 1927 | 2,000 | 338,000 | – |
| 1926 | 2,000 | 341,000 | – |
| 1925 | 2,000 | 342,000 | – |
| 1924 | – | 337,000 | – |
| 1923 | 2,000 | 337,000 | – |
| 1922 | – | 368,000 | – |
| 1921 | – | 448,000 | – |
| 1920 | – | 596,000 | – |
| 1919 | – | 1.33 million | – |
| 1918 | – | 4.22 million | – |
| 1917 | – | 4.43 million | – |
| 1915 | – | 4.35 million | – |
| 1914 | – | 532,000 | – |
| 1913 | – | 533,000 | – |
| 1912 | – | 523,000 | – |
| 1911 | – | 376,000 | – |
| 1910 | – | 372,000 | – |
| 1909 | – | 381,000 | – |
| 1908 | – | 364,000 | – |
| 1907 | – | 369,000 | – |
| 1906 | – | 384,000 | – |
| 1905 | – | 394,000 | – |
| 1904 | – | 409,000 | – |
| 1903 | – | 416,000 | – |
| 1902 | – | 489,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 521,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 487,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 331,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 331,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 319,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 315,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 309,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 302,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 294,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 288,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 281,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 278,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 275,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 273,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 265,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 256,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 240,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 239,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 247,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 247,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 248,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 260,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 261,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 251,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 244,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 245,000 | – |
| 1874 | – | 248,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 252,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 254,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 241,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 257,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 270,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 279,000 | – |
| 1867 | – | 283,000 | – |
| 1866 | – | 286,000 | – |
| 1865 | – | 296,000 | – |
| 1864 | – | 290,000 | – |
| 1863 | – | 312,000 | – |
| 1862 | – | 305,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 316,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 347,000 | – |
| 1859 | – | 315,000 | – |
| 1858 | – | 292,000 | – |
| 1857 | – | 272,000 | – |
| 1856 | – | 382,000 | – |
| 1855 | – | 329,000 | – |
| 1854 | – | 234,000 | – |
| 1853 | – | 213,000 | – |
| 1852 | – | 201,000 | – |
| 1851 | – | 198,000 | – |
| 1850 | – | 201,000 | – |
| 1849 | – | 203,000 | – |
| 1848 | – | 208,000 | – |
| 1847 | – | 193,000 | – |
| 1846 | – | 191,000 | – |
| 1845 | – | 178,000 | – |
| 1844 | – | 185,000 | – |
| 1843 | – | 158,000 | – |
| 1842 | – | 184,000 | – |
| 1841 | – | 173,000 | – |
| 1840 | – | 168,000 | – |
| 1839 | – | 159,000 | – |
| 1838 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1837 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1836 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1835 | – | 136,000 | – |
| 1834 | – | 137,000 | – |
| 1833 | – | 144,000 | – |
| 1832 | – | 145,000 | – |
| 1831 | – | 150,000 | – |
| 1830 | – | 140,000 | – |
| 1829 | – | 148,000 | – |
| 1828 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1827 | – | 155,000 | – |
| 1826 | – | 149,000 | – |
| 1825 | – | 132,000 | – |
| 1824 | – | 132,000 | – |
| 1823 | – | 125,000 | – |
| 1822 | – | 125,000 | – |
| 1821 | – | 139,000 | – |
| 1820 | – | 144,000 | – |
| 1819 | – | 143,000 | – |
| 1818 | – | 173,000 | – |
| 1817 | – | 190,000 | – |
| 1816 | – | 255,000 | – |
- 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
South Africa vs United Kingdom
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023United Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024United Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023United Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017United Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017United Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023United Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023United Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023United Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025United Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023United Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023United Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023United Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personSouth Africa: $5,713 in 2025United Kingdom: $48,420 in 2025
- GDP growthSouth Africa: 1.1% a year in 2025United Kingdom: 1.2% a year in 2025
- InflationSouth Africa: 3.2% a year in 2025United Kingdom: 3.4% a year in 2025
- Government debtSouth Africa: 76% of GDP in 2024United Kingdom: 102.1% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 2.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025United Kingdom: $88B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025United Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025United Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022United Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020United Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025