Military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Military personnel, per square kilometre was 0.061 people per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
0.061 people per square kilometre
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
128th
of 193 countries
All-time high
0.0841 people per square kilometre
in 1987
All-time low
0.0198 people per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa stood at 0.061 people per square kilometre.
The figure is up 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0841 people per square kilometre in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.0198 people per square kilometre, in 1961.
South Africa ranks 128th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | people per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0198 people per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.0198 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.0371 people per square kilometre | +87.5% |
| 1964 | 0.0412 people per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1965 | 0.0453 people per square kilometre | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 0.0412 people per square kilometre | -9.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0412 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.0453 people per square kilometre | +10.0% |
| 1969 | 0.0453 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.033 people per square kilometre | -27.3% |
| 1971 | 0.0495 people per square kilometre | +50.0% |
| 1972 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +25.0% |
| 1973 | 0.033 people per square kilometre | -46.7% |
| 1974 | 0.0371 people per square kilometre | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 0.0412 people per square kilometre | +11.1% |
| 1976 | 0.0486 people per square kilometre | +18.0% |
| 1977 | 0.0552 people per square kilometre | +13.6% |
| 1978 | 0.0643 people per square kilometre | +16.4% |
| 1979 | 0.0577 people per square kilometre | -10.3% |
| 1980 | 0.0577 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.0643 people per square kilometre | +11.4% |
| 1982 | 0.0643 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.0635 people per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 0.08 people per square kilometre | +26.0% |
| 1985 | 0.0783 people per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.0742 people per square kilometre | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 0.0841 people per square kilometre | +13.3% |
| 1988 | 0.0824 people per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.0824 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.0701 people per square kilometre | -15.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0659 people per square kilometre | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0561 people per square kilometre | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 0.0519 people per square kilometre | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0495 people per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 0.0462 people per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0462 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0462 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0462 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0552 people per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0552 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0544 people per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0536 people per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | +15.4% |
| 2021 | 0.061 people per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 0.061 people per square kilometre | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.061 people per square kilometre is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.1665 people per square kilometre, 37% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.061 people per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0601 people per square kilometre, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +87.5% | 0.0198 people per square kilometre | 0.0371 people per square kilometre |
| 1971 | +50.0% | 0.033 people per square kilometre | 0.0495 people per square kilometre |
| 1973 | -46.7% | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | 0.033 people per square kilometre |
| 1970 | -27.3% | 0.0453 people per square kilometre | 0.033 people per square kilometre |
| 1984 | +26.0% | 0.0635 people per square kilometre | 0.08 people per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0374 people per square kilometre | 0.0198 people per square kilometre | 0.0453 people per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.0481 people per square kilometre | 0.033 people per square kilometre | 0.0643 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0731 people per square kilometre | 0.0577 people per square kilometre | 0.0841 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0625 people per square kilometre | 0.0561 people per square kilometre | 0.0701 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.049 people per square kilometre | 0.0462 people per square kilometre | 0.0519 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0525 people per square kilometre | 0.0511 people per square kilometre | 0.0552 people per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0613 people per square kilometre | 0.061 people per square kilometre | 0.0618 people per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 125 Tajikistan 0.0648 people per square kilometre compare
- 126 Peru 0.0633 people per square kilometre compare
- 127 Finland 0.0625 people per square kilometre compare
- 129 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.0591 people per square kilometre compare
- 130 Algeria 0.0584 people per square kilometre compare
- 131 Kyrgyzstan 0.0574 people per square kilometre compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Military personnel, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.061 people per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest military personnel, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0841 people per square kilometre in 1987.
- What is the lowest military personnel, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0198 people per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for military personnel, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 128th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military personnel, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Military personnel divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Military personnel ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Military personnel Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Military personnel divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.