Armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed forces personnel was 134,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 134,000.
That represents a change of down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 159,000 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 40,000, in 1993.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 46th 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.
Armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 48,000 | — |
| 1989 | 51,000 | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 55,000 | +7.8% |
| 1991 | 60,000 | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 45,000 | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 40,000 | -11.1% |
| 1994 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 65,100 | +62.7% |
| 1996 | 65,100 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 77,000 | +18.3% |
| 1998 | 87,000 | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 92,900 | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 92,900 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 81,400 | -12.4% |
| 2002 | 81,400 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 97,800 | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 64,000 | -34.6% |
| 2005 | 65,000 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 143,000 | +120.0% |
| 2008 | 151,000 | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 159,000 | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 159,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 134,250 | -15.6% |
| 2012 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 134,250 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 134,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 134,250 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 134,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 134,000 | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 3.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 8.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +120.0% | 65,000 | 143,000 |
| 1995 | +62.7% | 40,000 | 65,100 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49,500 | 48,000 | 51,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 62,710 | 40,000 | 92,900 | 10 |
| 2000s | 103,944 | 64,000 | 159,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 136,675 | 134,000 | 159,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 134,000 | 134,000 | 134,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 235.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 140.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Armed forces personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo was 134,000 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 159,000 in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 40,000 in 1993.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for armed forces personnel?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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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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.