Armed forces personnel in Uganda
Uganda: Armed forces personnel was 46,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Uganda, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Uganda is 46,000, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Uganda peaked at 70,000 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 20,000, in 1985.
Uganda ranks 73rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 20,000 | — |
| 1989 | 40,000 | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 60,000 | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 60,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 70,000 | +16.7% |
| 1993 | 70,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 60,000 | -14.3% |
| 1995 | 51,500 | -14.2% |
| 1996 | 51,500 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 46,500 | -9.7% |
| 1998 | 41,500 | -10.8% |
| 1999 | 41,500 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 50,600 | +21.9% |
| 2001 | 56,800 | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 56,800 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 61,800 | +8.8% |
| 2004 | 55,000 | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 47,000 | -14.5% |
| 2007 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 47,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 46,800 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 46,800 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 46,800 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 46,800 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 46,800 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 46,800 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 46,400 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 46,400 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 46,000 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 46,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 46,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 46,000 | +0.0% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 46,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 46,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 55,250 | 41,500 | 70,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 52,089 | 46,800 | 61,800 | 9 |
| 2010s | 46,480 | 46,000 | 46,800 | 10 |
| 2020s | 46,000 | 46,000 | 46,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More reference data data for Uganda
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4214 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 29.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 42.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.29 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Uganda?
- Armed forces personnel in Uganda was 46,000 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 70,000 in 1992.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,000 in 1985.
- How does Uganda rank for armed forces personnel?
- Uganda ranks 73rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.