Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea is 0.1%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 47.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea peaked at 0.6% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2020.
Equatorial Guinea ranks 159th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.6% | — |
| 1989 | 0.2% | -61.6% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +54.1% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +35.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -46.8% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -27.5% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +26.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +5.9% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -33.4% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +40.2% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -33.3% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
Equatorial Guinea compared with similar countries
- Equatorial Guinea's 0.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Equatorial Guinea's 0.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 45% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +54.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 1989 | -61.6% | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | +40.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2003 | -46.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2002 | +35.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2009 | +26.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Equatorial Guinea
More reference data data for Equatorial Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0013 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0083 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0083 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0402 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0358 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 1.11 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Equatorial Guinea was 0.1% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Equatorial Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Equatorial Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2020.
- How does Equatorial Guinea rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Equatorial Guinea ranks 159th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Equatorial Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Equatorial Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.