Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau, 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
Guinea-Bissau recorded 0.2% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 51.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau peaked at 1.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2020.
Guinea-Bissau ranks 124th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.0% | — |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +9.6% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +18.0% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -38.3% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +28.2% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +18.9% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +22.9% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -38.1% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -35.0% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -32.8% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | +8.6% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -12.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -2.3% |
Guinea-Bissau compared with similar countries
- Guinea-Bissau's 0.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.2%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Guinea-Bissau's 0.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | -38.3% | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| 2004 | -38.1% | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| 2008 | -35.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| 1995 | +28.2% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| 2015 | -32.8% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guinea-Bissau
- 121 Japan 0.2% compare
- 122 Uzbekistan 0.2% compare
- 123 Central African Republic 0.2% compare
- 125 Costa Rica 0.2% compare
- 126 New Zealand 0.2% compare
- 127 Moldova 0.2% compare
More reference data data for Guinea-Bissau
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0583 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3098 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.395 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0269 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.395 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1955 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2346 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1466 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Guinea-Bissau was 0.2% 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 Guinea-Bissau?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Guinea-Bissau?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
- How does Guinea-Bissau rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Guinea-Bissau ranks 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Guinea-Bissau?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guinea-Bissau 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.
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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.