Democratic Republic of Congo vs Sudan: Armed forces personnel

Democratic Republic of Congo
134,000
in 2020
Sudan
144,000
in 2020
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
46th
Sudan rank
43rd

Armed forces personnel over time

  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Sudan
50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k198520022020

How they compare

Sudan currently reports 144,000 against 134,000 in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 10,000.

That makes Sudan's figure about 1.1 times Democratic Republic of Congo's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Sudan ahead.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th and Sudan ranks 43rd of 173 countries.

Sudan has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Democratic Republic of Congo Sudan Difference Ahead
1980s 49,500 60,800 11,300 Sudan
1990s 62,710 92,760 30,050 Sudan
2000s 103,944 122,978 19,033 Sudan
2010s 136,675 194,490 57,815 Sudan
2020s 134,000 144,000 10,000 Sudan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, Democratic Republic of Congo or Sudan?
Sudan, at 144,000 against 134,000 in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan?
10,000, with Sudan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan?
32 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan rank globally for armed forces personnel?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th and Sudan ranks 43rd of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Democratic Republic of Congo vs Sudan: Armed forces personnel. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel/congo-dem-rep/sudan/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.