Military personnel in Cameroon
Cameroon: Military personnel was 25,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
25,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
88th
of 194 countries
All-time high
25,000 people
in 2020
All-time low
1,000 people
in 1960
Years of data
63
1960–2022
Military personnel in Cameroon, 1960–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 25,000 people for military personnel in 2022. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 78.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Cameroon peaked at 25,000 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,000 people, in 1960.
That places Cameroon 88th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Military personnel in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 4,000 people | +300.0% |
| 1962 | 5,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1963 | 8,000 people | +60.0% |
| 1964 | 6,000 people | -25.0% |
| 1965 | 8,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1966 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 7,000 people | -12.5% |
| 1969 | 8,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1970 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 10,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1975 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 11,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1978 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 14,000 people | +27.3% |
| 1982 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 15,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 21,000 people | +40.0% |
| 1989 | 21,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 23,000 people | +9.5% |
| 1991 | 24,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 12,000 people | -50.0% |
| 1993 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 22,000 people | +83.3% |
| 1996 | 15,000 people | -31.8% |
| 1997 | 13,000 people | -13.3% |
| 1998 | 15,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1999 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7,000 people | -53.3% |
| 2001 | 22,000 people | +214.3% |
| 2002 | 23,000 people | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 23,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 23,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 23,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 23,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14,000 people | -39.1% |
| 2008 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 15,000 people | +7.1% |
| 2020 | 25,000 people | +66.7% |
| 2021 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 25,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 25,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6,300 people | 1,000 people | 8,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 9,500 people | 8,000 people | 11,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,600 people | 11,000 people | 21,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,300 people | 12,000 people | 24,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,600 people | 7,000 people | 23,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,100 people | 14,000 people | 15,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 25,000 people | 25,000 people | 25,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More reference data data for Cameroon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4076 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Cameroon?
- Military personnel in Cameroon was 25,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 25,000 people in 2020.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Cameroon rank for military personnel?
- Cameroon ranks 88th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.