Armed forces personnel in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Armed forces personnel was 138,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Ethiopia, 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 Ethiopia stood at 138,000.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Ethiopia peaked at 352,500 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 120,000, in 1991.
Ethiopia ranks 44th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 233,500 | 217,000 | 250,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 153,550 | 120,000 | 325,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 199,878 | 138,000 | 352,500 | 9 |
| 2010s | 138,000 | 138,000 | 138,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 138,000 | 138,000 | 138,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More reference data data for Ethiopia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.8567 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.21 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.2007 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4577 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8867 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 1,176 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Ethiopia?
- Armed forces personnel in Ethiopia was 138,000 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 352,500 in 2000.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 120,000 in 1991.
- How does Ethiopia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Ethiopia ranks 44th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.