Armed forces personnel in Somalia
Somalia: Armed forces personnel was 14,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Somalia, 1985–2020
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 Somalia stood at 14,000.
That represents a change of down 30.0% on the previous year and up 600.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Somalia peaked at 225,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 2,000, in 2009.
That places Somalia 120th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 62,700 | — |
| 1989 | 47,000 | -25.0% |
| 1990 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 225,000 | +378.7% |
| 1996 | 225,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 225,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 225,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 50,000 | -77.8% |
| 2000 | 50,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2,000 | -96.0% |
| 2010 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3,200 | +60.0% |
| 2012 | 20,000 | +525.0% |
| 2013 | 11,000 | -45.0% |
| 2014 | 17,000 | +54.5% |
| 2015 | 19,800 | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 19,800 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20,000 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 19,800 | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 20,000 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 14,000 | -30.0% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 14,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 40% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 14,000 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Somalia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +525.0% | 3,200 | 20,000 |
| 1995 | +378.7% | 47,000 | 225,000 |
| 2009 | -96.0% | 50,000 | 2,000 |
| 1999 | -77.8% | 225,000 | 50,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 54,850 | 47,000 | 62,700 | 2 |
| 1990s | 166,167 | 47,000 | 225,000 | 6 |
| 2000s | 26,000 | 2,000 | 50,000 | 2 |
| 2010s | 15,260 | 2,000 | 20,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,000 | 14,000 | 14,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More reference data data for Somalia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2637 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0493 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8842 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3652 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 43.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2685 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Somalia?
- Armed forces personnel in Somalia was 14,000 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 225,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 in 2009.
- How does Somalia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Somalia ranks 120th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 600.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Somalia 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.
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CSV · JSON — 21 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.