Armed forces personnel in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Armed forces personnel was 10,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Central African Republic, 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 Central African Republic stood at 10,000.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 217.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Central African Republic peaked at 10,150 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2,000, in 2004.
That places Central African Republic 131st out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2,300 | — |
| 1989 | 5,000 | +117.4% |
| 1990 | 4,000 | -20.0% |
| 1991 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5,000 | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4,950 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 5,000 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 5,400 | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 4,200 | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 3,550 | -15.5% |
| 2003 | 3,600 | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 2,000 | -44.4% |
| 2005 | 3,000 | +50.0% |
| 2007 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3,150 | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 3,150 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3,150 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8,150 | +158.7% |
| 2013 | 8,150 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8,150 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8,150 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8,150 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8,000 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 10,150 | +26.9% |
| 2019 | 10,000 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 10,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 29% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 10,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 62% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Central African Republic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +158.7% | 3,150 | 8,150 |
| 1989 | +117.4% | 2,300 | 5,000 |
| 2005 | +50.0% | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| 2004 | -44.4% | 3,600 | 2,000 |
| 2018 | +26.9% | 8,000 | 10,150 |
| 1995 | +25.0% | 4,000 | 5,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,650 | 2,300 | 5,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 4,495 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,433 | 2,000 | 5,400 | 9 |
| 2010s | 7,520 | 3,150 | 10,150 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
- 128 Bosnia and Herzegovina 11,000 compare
- 128 Burkina Faso 11,000 compare
- 128 Mozambique 11,000 compare
- 131 Costa Rica 10,000 compare
- 131 New Zealand 10,000 compare
- 131 Niger 10,000 compare
- 131 Togo 10,000 compare
More reference data data for Central African Republic
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1959 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0271 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6569 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.7203 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1476 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Central African Republic?
- Armed forces personnel in Central African Republic was 10,000 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 Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 10,150 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 in 2004.
- How does Central African Republic rank for armed forces personnel?
- Central African Republic ranks 131st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is up 217.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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.
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CSV · JSON — 32 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.