Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Military personnel was 134,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
134,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
37th
of 194 countries
All-time high
159,000
in 2011
All-time low
18,000
in 1961
Years of data
63
1960–2022

Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2022

050.0k100.0k150.0k196019912022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 134,000 for military personnel in 2022.

The figure is down 15.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 159,000 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 18,000, in 1961.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 37th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1960 25,000 —
1961 18,000 -28.0%
1962 20,000 +11.1%
1963 25,000 +25.0%
1964 25,000 +0.0%
1965 25,000 +0.0%
1966 25,000 +0.0%
1967 35,000 +40.0%
1968 30,000 -14.3%
1969 45,000 +50.0%
1970 45,000 +0.0%
1971 45,000 +0.0%
1972 45,000 +0.0%
1973 65,000 +44.4%
1974 60,000 -7.7%
1975 55,000 -8.3%
1976 55,000 +0.0%
1977 53,000 -3.6%
1978 53,000 +0.0%
1979 23,000 -56.6%
1980 26,000 +13.0%
1981 44,000 +69.2%
1982 40,000 -9.1%
1983 42,000 +5.0%
1984 60,000 +42.9%
1985 62,000 +3.3%
1986 53,000 -14.5%
1987 53,000 +0.0%
1988 51,000 -3.8%
1989 51,000 +0.0%
1990 55,000 +7.8%
1991 60,000 +9.1%
1992 45,000 -25.0%
1993 40,000 -11.1%
1994 40,000 +0.0%
1995 40,000 +0.0%
1996 50,000 +25.0%
1997 30,000 -40.0%
1998 50,000 +66.7%
1999 55,000 +10.0%
2000 56,000 +1.8%
2001 81,000 +44.6%
2002 81,000 +0.0%
2003 98,000 +21.0%
2004 81,000 -17.3%
2005 65,000 -19.8%
2006 65,000 +0.0%
2007 51,000 -21.5%
2008 134,000 +162.7%
2009 151,000 +12.7%
2010 151,000 +0.0%
2011 159,000 +5.3%
2012 159,000 +0.0%
2013 134,000 -15.7%
2014 134,000 +0.0%
2015 134,000 +0.0%
2016 134,000 +0.0%
2017 134,000 +0.0%
2018 134,000 +0.0%
2019 134,000 +0.0%
2020 134,000 +0.0%
2021 134,000 +0.0%
2022 134,000 +0.0%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 33,000, 4.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 134,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000, 9.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo 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.

YearChange FromTo
2008 +162.7% 51,000 134,000
1981 +69.2% 26,000 44,000
1998 +66.7% 30,000 50,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 27,300 18,000 45,000 10
1970s 49,900 23,000 65,000 10
1980s 48,200 26,000 62,000 10
1990s 46,500 30,000 60,000 10
2000s 86,300 51,000 151,000 10
2010s 140,700 134,000 159,000 10
2020s 134,000 134,000 134,000 3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 34 Philippines 145,000 compare
  2. 35 Nigeria 143,000 compare
  3. 36 Algeria 139,000 compare
  4. 38 Greece 132,000 compare
  5. 39 Cambodia 124,000 compare
  6. 39 Spain 124,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo was 134,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 159,000 in 2011.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 18,000 in 1961.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for military personnel?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 37th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed