Military personnel in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Military personnel was 503,000 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
503,000
Change on year
up 264.5%
World rank
10th
of 194 countries
All-time high
503,000
in 2022
All-time low
10,000
in 1946
Years of data
116
1898–2022

Military personnel in Ethiopia, 1898–2022

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k189819602022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 503,000 for military personnel in 2022. That is the highest value across all 116 years on record.

The figure is up 264.5% on the previous year and up 264.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Ethiopia peaked at 503,000 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 10,000, in 1946.

Ethiopia ranks 10th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Military personnel in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Ethiopia, 1898 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1898 150,000 —
1899 150,000 +0.0%
1900 150,000 +0.0%
1901 150,000 +0.0%
1902 150,000 +0.0%
1903 150,000 +0.0%
1904 150,000 +0.0%
1905 150,000 +0.0%
1906 150,000 +0.0%
1907 150,000 +0.0%
1908 150,000 +0.0%
1909 150,000 +0.0%
1910 150,000 +0.0%
1911 150,000 +0.0%
1912 150,000 +0.0%
1913 150,000 +0.0%
1914 250,000 +66.7%
1915 250,000 +0.0%
1916 250,000 +0.0%
1917 250,000 +0.0%
1918 250,000 +0.0%
1919 100,000 -60.0%
1920 100,000 +0.0%
1921 100,000 +0.0%
1922 100,000 +0.0%
1923 100,000 +0.0%
1924 100,000 +0.0%
1925 100,000 +0.0%
1926 100,000 +0.0%
1927 100,000 +0.0%
1928 100,000 +0.0%
1929 100,000 +0.0%
1930 100,000 +0.0%
1931 100,000 +0.0%
1932 100,000 +0.0%
1933 100,000 +0.0%
1934 100,000 +0.0%
1935 100,000 +0.0%
1936 500,000 +400.0%
1946 10,000 -98.0%
1947 10,000 +0.0%
1948 10,000 +0.0%
1949 10,000 +0.0%
1950 20,000 +100.0%
1951 20,000 +0.0%
1952 20,000 +0.0%
1953 20,000 +0.0%
1954 20,000 +0.0%
1955 24,000 +20.0%
1956 28,000 +16.7%
1957 32,000 +14.3%
1958 36,000 +12.5%
1959 29,000 -19.4%
1960 29,000 +0.0%
1961 27,000 -6.9%
1962 30,000 +11.1%
1963 55,000 +83.3%
1964 60,000 +9.1%
1965 60,000 +0.0%
1966 40,000 -33.3%
1967 45,000 +12.5%
1968 45,000 +0.0%
1969 45,000 +0.0%
1970 45,000 +0.0%
1971 45,000 +0.0%
1972 50,000 +11.1%
1973 50,000 +0.0%
1974 45,000 -10.0%
1975 50,000 +11.1%
1976 65,000 +30.0%
1977 225,000 +246.2%
1978 233,000 +3.6%
1979 250,000 +7.3%
1980 250,000 +0.0%
1981 240,000 -4.0%
1982 240,000 +0.0%
1983 240,000 +0.0%
1984 190,000 -20.8%
1985 240,000 +26.3%
1986 300,000 +25.0%
1987 300,000 +0.0%
1988 250,000 -16.7%
1989 250,000 +0.0%
1990 250,000 +0.0%
1991 120,000 -52.0%
1992 120,000 +0.0%
1993 120,000 +0.0%
1994 120,000 +0.0%
1995 120,000 +0.0%
1996 100,000 -16.7%
1997 100,000 +0.0%
1998 200,000 +100.0%
1999 300,000 +50.0%
2000 352,000 +17.3%
2001 252,000 -28.4%
2002 252,000 +0.0%
2003 164,000 -34.9%
2004 173,000 +5.5%
2005 183,000 +5.8%
2006 183,000 +0.0%
2007 153,000 -16.4%
2008 138,000 -9.8%
2009 138,000 +0.0%
2010 138,000 +0.0%
2011 138,000 +0.0%
2012 138,000 +0.0%
2013 138,000 +0.0%
2014 138,000 +0.0%
2015 138,000 +0.0%
2016 138,000 +0.0%
2017 138,000 +0.0%
2018 138,000 +0.0%
2019 138,000 +0.0%
2020 138,000 +0.0%
2021 138,000 +0.0%
2022 503,000 +264.5%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 503,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 33,000, 15.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 503,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000, 35.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 150,000 150,000 150,000 2
1900s 150,000 150,000 150,000 10
1910s 195,000 100,000 250,000 10
1920s 100,000 100,000 100,000 10
1930s 157,143 100,000 500,000 7
1940s 10,000 10,000 10,000 4
1950s 24,900 20,000 36,000 10
1960s 43,600 27,000 60,000 10
1970s 105,800 45,000 250,000 10
1980s 250,000 190,000 300,000 10
1990s 155,000 100,000 300,000 10
2000s 198,800 138,000 352,000 10
2010s 138,000 138,000 138,000 10
2020s 259,667 138,000 503,000 3

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 7 Pakistan 652,000 compare
  2. 8 Iran 610,000 compare
  3. 9 South Korea 555,000 compare
  4. 11 Vietnam 482,000 compare
  5. 12 Egypt 439,000 compare
  6. 13 Indonesia 396,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Ethiopia?
Military personnel in Ethiopia was 503,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 503,000 in 2022.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 10,000 in 1946.
How does Ethiopia rank for military personnel?
Ethiopia ranks 10th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is up 264.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/ethiopia/

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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