South Africa vs United States

South Africa vs United States: Armed forces personnel

Armed forces personnel in 2020: 89,000 people in South Africa and 1.4 million people in United States, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United States, by 1.31 million people, or 16 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

South Africa vs United States: Armed forces personnelArmed forces personnel in 2020: 89,000 people in South Africa and 1.4 million people in United States, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United States, by 1.31 million people, or 16 times that in South Africa.
South AfricaUnited StatesEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
  • In 2020, South Africa ranked 54 and United States ranked 5 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.

Every year

people · IISS

YearSouth AfricaUnited StatesWorld
202089,0001.4 million27.4 million
201990,0001.39 million27.7 million
201889,6501.38 million27.7 million
201780,0001.36 million27.4 million
201681,4001.35 million27.5 million
201582,1501.35 million27.4 million
201482,2501.38 million27.3 million
201377,1501.43 million27.2 million
201262,1001.49 million28.2 million
201177,5801.52 million28 million
201077,1501.57 million28.1 million
200977,1501.56 million27.9 million
200862,0001.54 million27.5 million
200762,0001.56 million27.3 million
2006103,0001.5 million27 million
200556,0001.55 million28.5 million
200455,0001.47 million27.1 million
200355,7001.48 million28.2 million
200260,0001.47 million28.3 million
200167,0001.42 million28.2 million
200071,6001.46 million29.4 million
199978,1501.58 million29.6 million
1998211,7001.59 million29.9 million
1997217,4001.53 million29.9 million
1996277,9001.57 million30.2 million
1995276,9001.64 million30.2 million
199475,0001.72 million23.2 million
199375,0001.82 million23.7 million
199275,0001.92 million24.5 million
199180,0002.12 million22.7 million
199085,0002.18 million23.9 million
1989100,0002.24 million24.3 million
1985106,4002.15 million22.2 million
198497,0002.22 million–
198377,0002.2 million–
198278,0002.17 million–
198178,0002.1 million–
198070,0002.05 million–
197970,0002.03 million–
197878,0002.06 million–
197767,0002.06 million–
197659,0002.08 million–
197550,0002.1 million–
197445,0002.15 million–
197340,0002.21 million–
197275,0002.32 million–
197160,0002.72 million–
197040,0003.07 million–
196955,0003.46 million–
196855,0003.55 million–
196750,0003.38 million–
196650,0003.09 million–
196555,0002.66 million–
196450,0002.69 million–
196345,0002.7 million–
196224,0002.81 million–
196124,0002.31 million–
196022,0002.31 million–
195921,0002.33 million–
195820,0002.41 million–
195719,0002.8 million–
195617,0002.81 million–
195516,0002.94 million–
195415,0003.3 million–
195314,0003.56 million–
195213,0003.64 million–
195111,0003.25 million–
195010,0001.46 million–
19499,0001.62 million–
194810,0001.45 million–
194730,0001.58 million–
194640,0003.03 million–
1945–12.1 million–
1944140,00011.5 million–
1943140,0009.05 million–
1942–3.86 million–
1941120,0001.8 million–
1940–458,000–
19395,000334,000–
19384,000323,000–
19374,000312,000–
19364,000291,000–
19354,000252,000–
19343,000247,000–
19332,000244,000–
19322,000245,000–
19312,000253,000–
19301,000256,000–
19292,000255,000–
19282,000251,000–
19272,000249,000–
19262,000247,000–
19252,000252,000–
1924–261,000–
19232,000247,000–
1922–270,000–
1921–387,000–
1920–343,000–
1919–1.17 million–
1918–2.9 million–
1917–644,000–
1916–179,000–
1915–174,000–
1914–166,000–
1913–155,000–
1912–153,000–
1911–145,000–
1910–139,000–
1909–142,000–
1908–129,000–
1907–108,000–
1906–112,000–
1905–108,000–
1904–110,000–
1903–106,000–
1902–111,000–
1901–112,000–
1900–126,000–
1899–100,000–
1898–236,000–
1897–44,000–
1896–42,000–
1895–42,000–
1894–42,000–
1893–39,000–
1892–39,000–
1891–38,000–
1890–39,000–
1889–39,000–
1888–39,000–
1887–39,000–
1886–39,000–
1885–39,000–
1884–39,000–
1883–37,000–
1882–38,000–
1881–38,000–
1880–38,000–
1879–38,000–
1878–36,000–
1877–34,000–
1876–41,000–
1875–38,000–
1874–44,000–
1873–43,000–
1872–42,000–
1871–42,000–
1870–50,000–
1869–52,000–
1868–66,000–
1867–75,000–
1866–77,000–
1865–1.06 million–
1864–1.03 million–
1863–960,000–
1862–673,000–
1861–217,000–
1860–28,000–
1859–29,000–
1858–29,000–
1857–27,000–
1856–26,000–
1855–26,000–
1854–21,000–
1853–21,000–
1852–21,000–
1851–21,000–
1850–21,000–
1849–23,000–
1848–60,000–
1847–58,000–
1846–39,000–
1845–21,000–
1844–21,000–
1843–21,000–
1842–23,000–
1841–21,000–
1840–22,000–
1839–19,000–
1838–18,000–
1837–22,000–
1836–17,000–
1835–14,000–
1834–13,000–
1833–13,000–
1832–12,000–
1831–11,000–
1830–12,000–
1829–12,000–
1828–11,000–
1827–12,000–
1826–12,000–
1825–11,000–
1824–11,000–
1823–11,000–
1822–10,000–
1821–11,000–
1820–15,000–
1819–13,000–
1818–14,000–
1817–15,000–
1816–17,000–
  • 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 States

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Military

Climate

Technology and environment