Italy vs Nigeria: Military personnel

Italy
161,000 people
in 2022
Nigeria
143,000 people
in 2022
Italy rank
32nd
Nigeria rank
35th

Military personnel over time

  • Italy
  • Nigeria
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M181619192022

How they compare

Italy currently reports 161,000 people against 143,000 people in Nigeria, a difference of 18,000 people.

That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times Nigeria's.

Across all 63 years both countries report, Italy has been ahead every year.

Italy ranks 32nd and Nigeria ranks 35th of 194 countries.

Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Nigeria Difference Ahead
1960s 455,600 people 35,300 people 420,300 people Italy
1970s 483,000 people 263,800 people 219,200 people Italy
1980s 507,700 people 135,000 people 372,700 people Italy
1990s 440,100 people 80,900 people 359,200 people Italy
2000s 214,600 people 79,100 people 135,500 people Italy
2010s 189,200 people 93,100 people 96,100 people Italy
2020s 163,000 people 143,000 people 20,000 people Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel, Italy or Nigeria?
Italy, at 161,000 people against 143,000 people in Nigeria as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel between Italy and Nigeria?
18,000 people, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Nigeria?
63 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.
How do Italy and Nigeria rank globally for military personnel?
Italy ranks 32nd and Nigeria ranks 35th of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.