Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe, 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
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe is 0.3%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe peaked at 0.6% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2020.
That places Zimbabwe 92nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.5% | — |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +9.5% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -14.1% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -10.5% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +56.2% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -6.0% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -13.2% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -1.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 0.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 1.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 0.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe 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 | +56.2% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2020.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Zimbabwe ranks 92nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.