Armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Armed forces personnel was 9,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 9,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
The figure is down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone peaked at 15,800 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 3,100, in 1985.
Sierra Leone ranks 136th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3,100 | — |
| 1989 | 4,000 | +29.0% |
| 1990 | 5,000 | +25.0% |
| 1991 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 8,000 | +60.0% |
| 1993 | 5,000 | -37.5% |
| 1994 | 5,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7,000 | +40.0% |
| 1996 | 15,000 | +114.3% |
| 1997 | 15,800 | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 5,800 | -63.3% |
| 1999 | 3,800 | -34.5% |
| 2000 | 3,800 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6,000 | +57.9% |
| 2002 | 13,000 | +116.7% |
| 2003 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 11,000 | -15.4% |
| 2007 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10,500 | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8,500 | -19.0% |
| 2015 | 8,500 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8,500 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9,000 | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 8,500 | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 9,000 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 9,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 26% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 9,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +116.7% | 6,000 | 13,000 |
| 1996 | +114.3% | 7,000 | 15,000 |
| 1998 | -63.3% | 15,800 | 5,800 |
| 1992 | +60.0% | 5,000 | 8,000 |
| 2001 | +57.9% | 3,800 | 6,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,550 | 3,100 | 4,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 7,540 | 3,800 | 15,800 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,530 | 3,800 | 13,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,400 | 8,500 | 10,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,000 | 9,000 | 9,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone?
- Armed forces personnel in Sierra Leone was 9,000 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 15,800 in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,100 in 1985.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for armed forces personnel?
- Sierra Leone ranks 136th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 — 33 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.