Armed forces personnel in Nigeria
Nigeria: Armed forces personnel was 223,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
223,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
30th
of 173 countries
All-time high
223,000
in 2018
All-time low
76,000
in 1992
Years of data
33
1985–2020
Armed forces personnel in Nigeria, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Nigeria is 223,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Nigeria peaked at 223,000 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 76,000, in 1992.
Nigeria ranks 30th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 94,000 | — |
| 1989 | 107,000 | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 94,000 | -12.1% |
| 1991 | 94,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 76,000 | -19.1% |
| 1993 | 76,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 80,000 | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 89,100 | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 89,100 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 107,000 | +20.1% |
| 1998 | 107,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 124,000 | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 106,500 | -14.1% |
| 2001 | 160,500 | +50.7% |
| 2002 | 160,500 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 160,500 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 160,000 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 161,000 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 162,000 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 162,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 200,000 | +23.5% |
| 2016 | 200,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 215,000 | +7.5% |
| 2018 | 223,000 | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 223,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 223,000 | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 223,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 9.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 223,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 13.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100,500 | 94,000 | 107,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 93,620 | 76,000 | 124,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 155,700 | 106,500 | 162,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 187,100 | 162,000 | 223,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 223,000 | 223,000 | 223,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Nigeria?
- Armed forces personnel in Nigeria was 223,000 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 223,000 in 2018.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 76,000 in 1992.
- How does Nigeria rank for armed forces personnel?
- Nigeria ranks 30th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).