Armed forces personnel in Tunisia
Tunisia: Armed forces personnel was 48,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Tunisia, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Tunisia recorded 48,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Tunisia peaked at 58,500 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 35,000, in 1990.
That places Tunisia 70th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Tunisia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 35,100 | — |
| 1989 | 40,000 | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 35,000 | -12.5% |
| 1991 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 35,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 58,500 | +67.1% |
| 1996 | 58,000 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 47,000 | -19.0% |
| 1998 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 48,000 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 48,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 48,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 47,800 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 47,800 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 48,000 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 47,800 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 48,000 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 48,000 | +0.0% |
Tunisia compared with similar countries
- Tunisia's 48,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 2.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Tunisia's 48,000 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 80,000, 60% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37,550 | 35,100 | 40,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 43,250 | 35,000 | 58,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 47,380 | 47,000 | 48,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 47,840 | 47,800 | 48,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 48,000 | 48,000 | 48,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Tunisia
More reference data data for Tunisia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.148 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1317 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4961 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1849 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7169 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Tunisia?
- Armed forces personnel in Tunisia was 48,000 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 Tunisia?
- The highest recorded value was 58,500 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Tunisia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,000 in 1990.
- How does Tunisia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Tunisia ranks 70th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Tunisia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tunisia 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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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.