Armed forces personnel in Sudan
Sudan: Armed forces personnel was 144,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Sudan, 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 Sudan stood at 144,000.
The figure is up 16.1% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Sudan peaked at 264,300 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 56,600, in 1985.
That places Sudan 43rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Sudan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 56,600 | — |
| 1989 | 65,000 | +14.8% |
| 1990 | 65,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 65,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 82,000 | +26.2% |
| 1993 | 82,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 82,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 133,500 | +62.8% |
| 1996 | 104,000 | -22.1% |
| 1997 | 94,700 | -8.9% |
| 1998 | 109,700 | +15.8% |
| 1999 | 109,700 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 119,500 | +8.9% |
| 2001 | 124,000 | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 124,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 114,500 | -7.7% |
| 2004 | 121,000 | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 123,000 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 127,000 | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 127,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 126,800 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 126,800 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 264,300 | +108.4% |
| 2012 | 264,300 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 264,300 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 264,300 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 264,300 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 124,300 | -53.0% |
| 2017 | 124,000 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 124,300 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 124,000 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 144,000 | +16.1% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's 144,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 4.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sudan's 144,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 9.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Sudan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +108.4% | 126,800 | 264,300 |
| 1995 | +62.8% | 82,000 | 133,500 |
| 2016 | -53.0% | 264,300 | 124,300 |
| 1992 | +26.2% | 65,000 | 82,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 60,800 | 56,600 | 65,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 92,760 | 65,000 | 133,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 122,978 | 114,500 | 127,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 194,490 | 124,000 | 264,300 | 10 |
| 2020s | 144,000 | 144,000 | 144,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
- 40 Philippines 157,000 compare
- 41 United Kingdom 153,000 compare
- 42 Greece 147,000 compare
- 44 Ethiopia 138,000 compare
- 45 Malaysia 136,000 compare
- 46 Democratic Republic of Congo 134,000 compare
More reference data data for Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5846 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.81 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.69 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4356 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 19.69 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.96 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.8148 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 80.68 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 93.88 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.37 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Sudan?
- Armed forces personnel in Sudan was 144,000 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 264,300 in 2011.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 56,600 in 1985.
- How does Sudan rank for armed forces personnel?
- Sudan ranks 43rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sudan 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 — 32 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.