Portugal vs Zimbabwe: Military personnel
Portugal
27,000 people
in 2022
Zimbabwe
29,000 people
in 2022
Portugal rank
84th
Zimbabwe rank
81st
Military personnel over time
- Portugal
- Zimbabwe
How they compare
Zimbabwe currently reports 29,000 people against 27,000 people in Portugal, a difference of 2,000 people.
That makes Zimbabwe's figure about 1.1 times Portugal's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 58 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 84th and Zimbabwe ranks 81st of 194 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 6 and Zimbabwe in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | Zimbabwe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 197,000 people | 10,400 people | 186,600 people | Portugal |
| 1970s | 171,800 people | 17,000 people | 154,800 people | Portugal |
| 1980s | 97,600 people | 54,200 people | 43,400 people | Portugal |
| 1990s | 80,800 people | 42,900 people | 37,900 people | Portugal |
| 2000s | 44,300 people | 30,800 people | 13,500 people | Portugal |
| 2010s | 37,100 people | 29,000 people | 8,100 people | Portugal |
| 2020s | 27,000 people | 29,000 people | 2,000 people | Zimbabwe |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel, Portugal or Zimbabwe?
- Zimbabwe, at 29,000 people against 27,000 people in Portugal as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel between Portugal and Zimbabwe?
- 2,000 people, with Zimbabwe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and Zimbabwe?
- 58 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2022.
- How do Portugal and Zimbabwe rank globally for military personnel?
- Portugal ranks 84th and Zimbabwe ranks 81st 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.