Armed forces personnel in Eswatini

Eswatini: Armed forces personnel was 3,000 in 1999. ▼ Falling

Latest (1999)
3,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
153rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
4,000
in 1989
All-time low
3,000
in 1990
Years of data
11
1989–1999

Armed forces personnel in Eswatini, 1989–1999

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1989199419991989: 4.0k1990: 3.0k1991: 3.0k1992: 3.0k1993: 3.0k1994: 3.0k1995: 3.0k1996: 3.0k1997: 3.0k1998: 3.0k1999: 3.0k

Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Eswatini recorded 3,000 for armed forces personnel in 1999. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is down 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Eswatini peaked at 4,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 3,000, in 1990.

Eswatini ranks 153rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4,000 4,000 4,000 1
1990s 3,000 3,000 3,000 10

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 153 Guyana 3,000 compare
  2. 153 Mauritius 3,000 compare
  3. 156 Bahamas 2,000 compare
  4. 156 Belize 2,000 compare
  5. 156 East Timor 2,000 compare
  6. 156 Lesotho 2,000 compare
  7. 156 Liberia 2,000 compare
  8. 156 Suriname 2,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Eswatini?
Armed forces personnel in Eswatini was 3,000 in 1999, 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 Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 4,000 in 1989.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 in 1990.
How does Eswatini rank for armed forces personnel?
Eswatini ranks 153rd out of 173 countries with data for 1999.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eswatini 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

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.