Kenya vs South Africa: Military spending per military personnel
Kenya
55,613 constant 2022 US$
in 2022
South Africa
53,689 constant 2022 US$
in 2022
Kenya rank
63rd
South Africa rank
64th
Military spending per military personnel over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
Kenya currently reports 55,613 constant 2022 US$ against 53,689 constant 2022 US$ in South Africa, a difference of 1,924 constant 2022 US$.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 60 shared years of data; in 1963 it was South Africa ahead.
Kenya ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 64th of 170 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8,079 constant 2022 US$ | 38,540 constant 2022 US$ | 30,461 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 1970s | 25,323 constant 2022 US$ | 80,411 constant 2022 US$ | 55,088 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 1980s | 24,432 constant 2022 US$ | 76,339 constant 2022 US$ | 51,907 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 1990s | 15,921 constant 2022 US$ | 65,145 constant 2022 US$ | 49,224 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 2000s | 22,079 constant 2022 US$ | 67,876 constant 2022 US$ | 45,797 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 2010s | 48,749 constant 2022 US$ | 74,309 constant 2022 US$ | 25,560 constant 2022 US$ | South Africa |
| 2020s | 58,893 constant 2022 US$ | 55,871 constant 2022 US$ | 3,022 constant 2022 US$ | Kenya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per military personnel, Kenya or South Africa?
- Kenya, at 55,613 constant 2022 US$ against 53,689 constant 2022 US$ in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military spending per military personnel between Kenya and South Africa?
- 1,924 constant 2022 US$, with Kenya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1963 to 2022.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for military spending per military personnel?
- Kenya ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 64th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending per military personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.