Armed forces personnel in Gambia
Gambia: Armed forces personnel was 4,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Gambia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 4,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 400.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Gambia peaked at 4,000 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 480, in 1985.
That places Gambia 149th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 480 | — |
| 1989 | 2,000 | +316.7% |
| 1990 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1,000 | -50.0% |
| 1993 | 1,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 800 | -20.0% |
| 1996 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1,000 | +25.0% |
| 2008 | 1,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 800 | -20.0% |
| 2010 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 800 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1,000 | +25.0% |
| 2018 | 4,000 | +300.0% |
| 2019 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 4,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 11% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 4,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 25% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,240 | 480 | 2,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 1,100 | 800 | 2,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 844.44 | 800 | 1,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 1,460 | 800 | 4,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 148 Trinidad and Tobago 5,000 compare
- 149 Fiji 4,000 compare
- 149 Guinea-Bissau 4,000 compare
- 149 Papua New Guinea 4,000 compare
More reference data data for Gambia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0121 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2798 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3524 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0232 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3524 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0407 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1264 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Gambia?
- Armed forces personnel in Gambia was 4,000 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4,000 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 480 in 1985.
- How does Gambia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Gambia ranks 149th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 400.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia 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.