Armed forces personnel in Botswana
Botswana: Armed forces personnel was 9,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Botswana, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Botswana stood at 9,000.
That represents a change of down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Botswana peaked at 11,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 4,000, in 1985.
Botswana ranks 136th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4,000 | — |
| 1989 | 6,000 | +50.0% |
| 1990 | 6,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7,000 | +16.7% |
| 1992 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8,500 | +21.4% |
| 1996 | 8,500 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 8,500 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 9,500 | +11.8% |
| 1999 | 10,000 | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10,500 | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10,000 | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 11,000 | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10,500 | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9,000 | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 9,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 9,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5,000 | 4,000 | 6,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 7,900 | 6,000 | 10,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,550 | 10,000 | 11,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,750 | 9,000 | 10,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,000 | 9,000 | 9,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Botswana?
- Armed forces personnel in Botswana was 9,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 11,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 in 1985.
- How does Botswana rank for armed forces personnel?
- Botswana ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 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.