Armed forces personnel in Senegal

Senegal: Armed forces personnel was 19,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
19,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
108th
of 173 countries
All-time high
19,000
in 2005
All-time low
10,100
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel in Senegal, 1985–2020

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1985200220201985: 10.1k1989: 15.0k1990: 18.0k1991: 18.0k1992: 18.0k1993: 18.0k1994: 14.0k1995: 17.4k1996: 17.4k1997: 17.4k1998: 17.0k1999: 17.0k2000: 15.4k2001: 15.6k2002: 15.2k2003: 18.6k2004: 18.0k2005: 19.0k2006: 19.0k2007: 19.0k2008: 19.0k2009: 18.6k2010: 18.6k2011: 18.6k2012: 18.6k2013: 18.6k2014: 18.6k2015: 18.6k2016: 18.6k2017: 19.0k2018: 18.6k2019: 19.0k2020: 19.0k

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 Senegal stood at 19,000. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Senegal peaked at 19,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 10,100, in 1985.

Senegal ranks 108th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 12,550 10,100 15,000 2
1990s 17,215 14,000 18,000 10
2000s 17,742 15,200 19,000 10
2010s 18,682 18,600 19,000 10
2020s 19,000 19,000 19,000 1

Countries ranked near Senegal

  1. 106 Croatia 20,000 compare
  2. 106 Switzerland 20,000 compare
  3. 108 Bahrain 19,000 compare
  4. 110 Mongolia 18,000 compare
  5. 110 Slovakia 18,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in Senegal?
Armed forces personnel in Senegal was 19,000 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 Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 19,000 in 2005.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 10,100 in 1985.
How does Senegal rank for armed forces personnel?
Senegal ranks 108th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Senegal?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Senegal 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

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.