Armed forces personnel in Zambia
Zambia: Armed forces personnel was 16,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Zambia, 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 Zambia is 16,000, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Zambia peaked at 23,000 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 16,000, in 1990.
That places Zambia 113th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16,600 | 16,200 | 17,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 19,500 | 16,000 | 23,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,500 | 16,000 | 23,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,360 | 16,000 | 16,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3261 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5273 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2981 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Zambia?
- Armed forces personnel in Zambia was 16,000 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23,000 in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,000 in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Zambia ranks 113th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 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.