Costa Rica vs Mozambique: Armed forces personnel

Costa Rica
10,000
in 2020
Mozambique
11,000
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
131st
Mozambique rank
128th

Armed forces personnel over time

  • Costa Rica
  • Mozambique
020.0k40.0k60.0k198520022020

How they compare

Mozambique currently reports 11,000 against 10,000 in Costa Rica, a difference of 1,000.

That makes Mozambique's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Mozambique ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 131st and Mozambique ranks 128th of 173 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 1 and Mozambique in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica Mozambique Difference Ahead
1980s 10,600 40,400 29,800 Mozambique
1990s 11,860 28,230 16,370 Mozambique
2000s 15,000 10,062 4,938 Costa Rica
2010s 9,860 11,160 1,300 Mozambique
2020s 10,000 11,000 1,000 Mozambique

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, Costa Rica or Mozambique?
Mozambique, at 11,000 against 10,000 in Costa Rica as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between Costa Rica and Mozambique?
1,000, with Mozambique ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Mozambique?
31 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Costa Rica and Mozambique rank globally for armed forces personnel?
Costa Rica ranks 131st and Mozambique ranks 128th 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.

Individual pages

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.