South Africa

Armed forces personnel in South Africa

Armed forces personnel in South Africa: 106,400 people in 1985 and 89,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
89,000 people
Since 1985
−17,400 people
Rank, 2020
54 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in South AfricaArmed forces personnel in South Africa: 106,400 people in 1985 and 89,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 277,900 people in 1996, the lowest 55,000 people in 2004.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 277,900 people in 1996, the lowest 55,000 people in 2004.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1923: 2,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearSouth AfricaWorld
202089,00027.4 million
201990,00027.7 million
201889,65027.7 million
201780,00027.4 million
201681,40027.5 million
201582,15027.4 million
201482,25027.3 million
201377,15027.2 million
201262,10028.2 million
201177,58028 million
201077,15028.1 million
200977,15027.9 million
200862,00027.5 million
200762,00027.3 million
2006103,00027 million
200556,00028.5 million
200455,00027.1 million
200355,70028.2 million
200260,00028.3 million
200167,00028.2 million
200071,60029.4 million
199978,15029.6 million
1998211,70029.9 million
1997217,40029.9 million
1996277,90030.2 million
1995276,90030.2 million
199475,00023.2 million
199375,00023.7 million
199275,00024.5 million
199180,00022.7 million
199085,00023.9 million
1989100,00024.3 million
1985106,40022.2 million
198497,000–
198377,000–
198278,000–
198178,000–
198070,000–
197970,000–
197878,000–
197767,000–
197659,000–
197550,000–
197445,000–
197340,000–
197275,000–
197160,000–
197040,000–
196955,000–
196855,000–
196750,000–
196650,000–
196555,000–
196450,000–
196345,000–
196224,000–
196124,000–
196022,000–
195921,000–
195820,000–
195719,000–
195617,000–
195516,000–
195415,000–
195314,000–
195213,000–
195111,000–
195010,000–
19499,000–
194810,000–
194730,000–
194640,000–
1944140,000–
1943140,000–
1941120,000–
19395,000–
19384,000–
19374,000–
19364,000–
19354,000–
19343,000–
19332,000–
19322,000–
19312,000–
19301,000–
19292,000–
19282,000–
19272,000–
19262,000–
19252,000–
19232,000–
  • 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

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