Zambia

Armed forces personnel in Zambia

Armed forces personnel in Zambia: 16,200 people in 1985 and 16,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
16,000 people
Since 1985
−200 people
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in ZambiaArmed forces personnel in Zambia: 16,200 people in 1985 and 16,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 23,000 people in 1995, the lowest 16,000 people in 1990.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 23,000 people in 1995, the lowest 16,000 people in 1990.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1964: 9,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearZambiaWorld
202016,00027.4 million
201916,00027.7 million
201816,10027.7 million
201716,00027.4 million
201616,50027.5 million
201516,50027.4 million
201416,50027.3 million
201316,50027.2 million
201216,50028.2 million
201116,50028 million
201016,50028.1 million
200916,50027.9 million
200816,00027.5 million
200716,00027.3 million
200616,00027 million
200516,00028.5 million
200416,00027.1 million
200319,50028.2 million
200223,00028.3 million
200123,00028.2 million
200023,00029.4 million
199923,00029.6 million
199823,00029.9 million
199723,00029.9 million
199623,00030.2 million
199523,00030.2 million
199416,00023.2 million
199316,00023.7 million
199216,00024.5 million
199116,00022.7 million
199016,00023.9 million
198917,00024.3 million
198516,20022.2 million
198416,000–
198316,000–
198216,000–
198117,000–
198015,000–
197914,000–
197814,000–
197720,000–
197617,000–
197516,000–
197416,000–
197316,000–
197214,000–
197113,000–
197012,000–
196911,000–
196811,000–
196710,000–
196611,000–
19659,000–
19649,000–
  • 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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