Peru vs South Africa: Military personnel
Peru
81,000 people
in 2022
South Africa
74,000 people
in 2022
Peru rank
50th
South Africa rank
51st
Military personnel over time
- Peru
- South Africa
How they compare
Peru currently reports 81,000 people against 74,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 7,000 people.
That makes Peru's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 96 shared years of data; in 1923 it was Peru ahead.
Peru ranks 50th and South Africa ranks 51st of 194 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Peru averaged higher in 10 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Peru | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 11,000 people | 2,000 people | 9,000 people | Peru |
| 1930s | 13,000 people | 3,100 people | 9,900 people | Peru |
| 1940s | 32,000 people | 69,857 people | 37,857 people | South Africa |
| 1950s | 32,200 people | 15,600 people | 16,600 people | Peru |
| 1960s | 63,100 people | 43,000 people | 20,100 people | Peru |
| 1970s | 96,500 people | 58,400 people | 38,100 people | Peru |
| 1980s | 137,700 people | 88,700 people | 49,000 people | Peru |
| 1990s | 115,900 people | 75,800 people | 40,100 people | Peru |
| 2000s | 98,300 people | 59,500 people | 38,800 people | Peru |
| 2010s | 101,300 people | 63,700 people | 37,600 people | Peru |
| 2020s | 81,000 people | 74,333 people | 6,667 people | Peru |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Peru or South Africa?
- Peru, at 81,000 people against 74,000 people in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Peru and South Africa?
- 7,000 people, with Peru ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Peru and South Africa?
- 96 years are reported by both, from 1923 to 2022.
- How do Peru and South Africa rank globally for military personnel?
- Peru ranks 50th and South Africa ranks 51st 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
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.