Armed forces personnel in Gabon
Gabon: Armed forces personnel was 7,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Gabon, 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 Gabon stood at 7,000.
That represents a change of up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Gabon peaked at 10,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2,400, in 1985.
That places Gabon 142nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Gabon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2,400 | — |
| 1989 | 10,000 | +316.7% |
| 1990 | 9,000 | -10.0% |
| 1991 | 10,000 | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 7,000 | -30.0% |
| 1993 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 6,000 | -14.3% |
| 1995 | 9,500 | +58.3% |
| 1996 | 9,500 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 9,500 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 9,500 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 9,500 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6,700 | -29.5% |
| 2001 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6,000 | -10.4% |
| 2005 | 7,000 | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6,700 | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6,700 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7,000 | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 6,700 | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 7,000 | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 7,000 | +0.0% |
Gabon compared with similar countries
- Gabon's 7,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 11% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Gabon's 7,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 44% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6,200 | 2,400 | 10,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 8,650 | 6,000 | 10,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,722 | 6,000 | 7,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 6,760 | 6,700 | 7,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,000 | 7,000 | 7,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gabon
More reference data data for Gabon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0319 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0505 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0931 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0031 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0931 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.107 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1347 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2352 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5278 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Gabon?
- Armed forces personnel in Gabon was 7,000 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 Gabon?
- The highest recorded value was 10,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Gabon?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,400 in 1985.
- How does Gabon rank for armed forces personnel?
- Gabon ranks 142nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Gabon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gabon 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.