Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya
Kenya: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya, 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
Kenya recorded 0.0% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.8% on the previous year and down 34.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya peaked at 0.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2020.
That places Kenya 162nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.1% | — |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +26.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +16.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -11.0% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +29.0% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -9.6% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -18.8% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 0.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 21% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 0.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 35% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya 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 | +29.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1989 | +26.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 159 Equatorial Guinea 0.1% compare
- 160 Burkina Faso 0.1% compare
- 161 Ghana 0.1% compare
- 163 Tanzania 0.0% compare
- 164 Niger 0.0% compare
- 165 Papua New Guinea 0.0% compare
More reference data data for Kenya
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5379 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 68.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Kenya was 0.0% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Kenya ranks 162nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.