Zimbabwe

Armed forces personnel in Zimbabwe

Armed forces personnel in Zimbabwe: 41,000 people in 1985 and 51,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates.

Latest, 2020
51,000 people
Since 1985
+10,000 people
Rank, 2020
69 of 170
counting from the highest
World, 2020
27.4 million people
Watch it change on the map

people · IISS

Armed forces personnel in ZimbabweArmed forces personnel in Zimbabwe: 41,000 people in 1985 and 51,000 people in 2020, by IISS estimates. The highest was 67,800 people in 1995, the lowest 41,000 people in 1985.
Estimates, IISSEstimates, Correlates of WarWorld

What the numbers say

  • The highest was 67,800 people in 1995, the lowest 41,000 people in 1985.
  • Older estimates from Correlates of War reach back to 1981: 74,000 people.

Every year

people · IISS

YearZimbabweWorld
202051,00027.4 million
201951,00027.7 million
201851,00027.7 million
201751,00027.4 million
201650,80027.5 million
201550,80027.4 million
201450,80027.3 million
201350,80027.2 million
201250,80028.2 million
201150,80028 million
201050,80028.1 million
200950,80027.9 million
200851,00027.5 million
200751,00027.3 million
200651,00027 million
200551,00028.5 million
200450,00027.1 million
200350,80028.2 million
200257,80028.3 million
200160,80028.2 million
200061,80029.4 million
199960,80029.6 million
199860,80029.9 million
199760,80029.9 million
199664,80030.2 million
199567,80030.2 million
199443,00023.2 million
199348,00023.7 million
199248,00024.5 million
199145,00022.7 million
199045,00023.9 million
198951,00024.3 million
198541,00022.2 million
198446,000–
198346,000–
198250,000–
198174,000–
  • 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

Zimbabwe in numbers

Every measure for Zimbabwe on one page

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Military

Climate

Technology and environment