Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sudan

Sudan: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.3%
Change on year
up 13.0%
World rank
95th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 2011
All-time low
0.3%
in 2019
Years of data
32
1985–2020

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

00.20.40.60.81985200220201985: 0.284 %1989: 0.301 %1990: 0.295 %1991: 0.289 %1992: 0.358 %1993: 0.35 %1994: 0.341 %1995: 0.541 %1996: 0.412 %1997: 0.367 %1998: 0.415 %1999: 0.404 %2000: 0.43 %2001: 0.435 %2002: 0.424 %2003: 0.383 %2004: 0.396 %2005: 0.393 %2007: 0.388 %2008: 0.378 %2009: 0.367 %2010: 0.358 %2011: 0.731 %2012: 0.716 %2013: 0.699 %2014: 0.681 %2015: 0.66 %2016: 0.301 %2017: 0.29 %2018: 0.281 %2019: 0.272 %2020: 0.308 %

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

Sudan recorded 0.3% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.

That represents a change of up 13.0% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sudan peaked at 0.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2019.

That places Sudan 95th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 2
1990s 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 10
2000s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 9
2010s 0.5% 0.3% 0.7% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1

Countries ranked near Sudan

  1. 92 Zimbabwe 0.3% compare
  2. 93 Suriname 0.3% compare
  3. 94 Kyrgyzstan 0.3% compare
  4. 96 Gabon 0.3% compare
  5. 97 Eswatini 0.3% compare
  6. 98 Albania 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Sudan

All data for Sudan →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sudan?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sudan was 0.3% 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 Sudan?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2011.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Sudan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2019.
How does Sudan rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Sudan ranks 95th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Sudan?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sudan 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 — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.