Armed forces personnel in Chad
Chad: Armed forces personnel was 45,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Chad, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Chad is 45,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Chad peaked at 50,000 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 12,200, in 1985.
Chad ranks 75th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Chad, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 12,200 | — |
| 1989 | 33,000 | +170.5% |
| 1990 | 50,000 | +51.5% |
| 1991 | 50,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 38,000 | -24.0% |
| 1993 | 30,000 | -21.1% |
| 1994 | 40,000 | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 34,850 | -12.9% |
| 1996 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 34,600 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 34,900 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 34,900 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 34,800 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 34,000 | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 35,000 | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 35,030 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 34,850 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 34,850 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 39,850 | +14.3% |
| 2015 | 39,850 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 39,850 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 35,000 | -12.2% |
| 2018 | 32,850 | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 45,000 | +37.0% |
| 2020 | 45,000 | +0.0% |
Chad compared with similar countries
- Chad's 45,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Chad's 45,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Chad 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +170.5% | 12,200 | 33,000 |
| 1990 | +51.5% | 33,000 | 50,000 |
| 2019 | +37.0% | 32,850 | 45,000 |
| 1994 | +33.3% | 30,000 | 40,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22,600 | 12,200 | 33,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 38,225 | 30,000 | 50,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 34,803 | 34,000 | 35,030 | 9 |
| 2010s | 37,180 | 32,850 | 45,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 45,000 | 45,000 | 45,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Chad
More reference data data for Chad
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5525 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 58.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 61.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9785 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Chad?
- Armed forces personnel in Chad was 45,000 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 Chad?
- The highest recorded value was 50,000 in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Chad?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,200 in 1985.
- How does Chad rank for armed forces personnel?
- Chad ranks 75th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Chad?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chad 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 — 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.