Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal

Senegal: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.1%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
147th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 1990
All-time low
0.1%
in 2020
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal, 1985–2020

00.050.10.150.20.251985200220201985: 0.151 %1989: 0.2 %1990: 0.233 %1991: 0.227 %1992: 0.22 %1993: 0.214 %1994: 0.162 %1995: 0.197 %1996: 0.192 %1997: 0.187 %1998: 0.179 %1999: 0.175 %2000: 0.154 %2001: 0.153 %2002: 0.145 %2003: 0.173 %2004: 0.164 %2005: 0.169 %2006: 0.165 %2007: 0.161 %2008: 0.158 %2009: 0.151 %2010: 0.147 %2011: 0.144 %2012: 0.14 %2013: 0.136 %2014: 0.131 %2015: 0.127 %2016: 0.124 %2017: 0.123 %2018: 0.117 %2019: 0.116 %2020: 0.113 %

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

Senegal recorded 0.1% 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 2.6% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal peaked at 0.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2020.

Senegal ranks 147th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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 Senegal, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal, 1985 to 2020.
Year % Change
1985 0.2%
1989 0.2% +32.3%
1990 0.2% +16.6%
1991 0.2% -2.8%
1992 0.2% -2.8%
1993 0.2% -2.7%
1994 0.2% -24.3%
1995 0.2% +21.1%
1996 0.2% -2.4%
1997 0.2% -2.6%
1998 0.2% -4.3%
1999 0.2% -2.3%
2000 0.2% -11.6%
2001 0.2% -1.1%
2002 0.1% -4.9%
2003 0.2% +19.5%
2004 0.2% -5.5%
2005 0.2% +3.1%
2006 0.2% -2.3%
2007 0.2% -2.3%
2008 0.2% -2.3%
2009 0.2% -4.3%
2010 0.1% -2.4%
2011 0.1% -2.6%
2012 0.1% -2.6%
2013 0.1% -2.9%
2014 0.1% -3.1%
2015 0.1% -3.0%
2016 0.1% -2.9%
2017 0.1% -0.8%
2018 0.1% -4.8%
2019 0.1% -0.6%
2020 0.1% -2.6%

Senegal compared with similar countries

  • Senegal's 0.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 52% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
  • Senegal's 0.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 87% of the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal 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.

YearChange FromTo
1989 +32.3% 0.2% 0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
1990s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 10
2000s 0.2% 0.1% 0.2% 10
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1

Countries ranked near Senegal

  1. 144 Togo 0.1% compare
  2. 145 Ethiopia 0.1% compare
  3. 146 Sierra Leone 0.1% compare
  4. 148 Yemen 0.1% compare
  5. 149 Nigeria 0.1% compare
  6. 150 Uganda 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal 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 Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 1990.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2020.
How does Senegal rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Senegal ranks 147th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Senegal?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Senegal 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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Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Senegal. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-percent/senegal/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.