Armed forces personnel in Namibia
Namibia: Armed forces personnel was 16,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Namibia, 1991–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Namibia is 16,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Namibia peaked at 16,000 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5,900, in 1997.
Namibia ranks 113th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8,000 | — |
| 1992 | 8,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 8,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 8,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8,100 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 8,200 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 5,900 | -28.0% |
| 1998 | 9,100 | +54.2% |
| 1999 | 9,100 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 9,100 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 15,000 | +64.8% |
| 2002 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 15,200 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 15,900 | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 16,000 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 15,900 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 16,000 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 16,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 70% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 16,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8,044 | 5,900 | 9,100 | 9 |
| 2000s | 14,430 | 9,100 | 15,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,500 | 15,200 | 16,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More reference data data for Namibia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0579 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0157 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1306 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0853 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Namibia?
- Armed forces personnel in Namibia was 16,000 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 16,000 in 2017.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,900 in 1997.
- How does Namibia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Namibia ranks 113th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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 — 30 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.