Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Namibia
Namibia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Namibia, 1991–2020
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 Namibia is 0.6%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Namibia peaked at 0.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1997.
Namibia ranks 51st of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More reference data data for Namibia
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.5417 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0961 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.7156 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7944 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2035 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 202.75 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Namibia?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Namibia was 0.6% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1997.
- How does Namibia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Namibia ranks 51st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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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CSV · JSON — 30 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.