Somalia

Armed forces personnel in Somalia

Armed forces personnel in Somalia: 62,700 people in 1985 and 14,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
14,000 people
Since 1985
−48,700 people
Rank, 2020
120 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in SomaliaArmed forces personnel in Somalia: 62,700 people in 1985 and 14,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 225,000 people in 1995, the lowest 2,000 people in 2009.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 225,000 people in 1995, the lowest 2,000 people in 2009.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1960: 4,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearSomaliaWorld
202014,00027.4 million
201920,00027.7 million
201819,80027.7 million
201720,00027.4 million
201619,80027.5 million
201519,80027.4 million
201417,00027.3 million
201311,00027.2 million
201220,00028.2 million
20113,20028 million
20102,00028.1 million
20092,00027.9 million
2008–27.5 million
2007–27.3 million
2006–27 million
2005–28.5 million
2004–27.1 million
2003–28.2 million
2002–28.3 million
2001–28.2 million
200050,00029.4 million
199950,00029.6 million
1998225,00029.9 million
1997225,00029.9 million
1996225,00030.2 million
1995225,00030.2 million
1994–23.2 million
1993–23.7 million
1992–24.5 million
1991–22.7 million
199047,00023.9 million
198947,00024.3 million
198562,70022.2 million
198443,000–
198348,000–
198254,000–
198154,000–
198054,000–
197954,000–
197854,000–
197753,000–
197631,000–
197530,000–
197430,000–
197325,000–
197225,000–
197120,000–
197020,000–
196918,000–
196814,000–
196716,000–
196615,000–
196512,000–
196411,000–
19639,000–
19624,000–
19614,000–
19604,000–
  • 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War

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

Somalia in numbers

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