Military personnel in Ghana
Ghana: Military personnel was 16,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
16,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
105th
of 194 countries
All-time high
40,000 people
in 1972
All-time low
2,000 people
in 1957
Years of data
66
1957–2022
Military personnel in Ghana, 1957–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 16,000 people for military personnel in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Ghana peaked at 40,000 people in 1972 and was at its lowest, 2,000 people, in 1957.
That places Ghana 105th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military personnel in Ghana, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 2,000 people | — |
| 1958 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 5,000 people | +150.0% |
| 1961 | 10,000 people | +100.0% |
| 1962 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 18,000 people | +80.0% |
| 1964 | 25,000 people | +38.9% |
| 1965 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 30,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1967 | 30,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 35,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1969 | 35,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 35,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 35,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 40,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 35,000 people | -12.5% |
| 1975 | 20,000 people | -42.9% |
| 1976 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 18,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1978 | 19,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 15,000 people | -21.1% |
| 1980 | 14,000 people | -6.7% |
| 1981 | 9,000 people | -35.7% |
| 1982 | 9,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 8,000 people | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 15,000 people | +87.5% |
| 1985 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 9,000 people | -40.0% |
| 1987 | 11,000 people | +22.2% |
| 1988 | 16,000 people | +45.5% |
| 1989 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 9,000 people | -43.8% |
| 1991 | 9,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7,000 people | -22.2% |
| 1993 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 14,000 people | +100.0% |
| 2008 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 14,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 16,000 people | +14.3% |
| 2011 | 12,000 people | -25.0% |
| 2012 | 16,000 people | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 16,000 people | +0.0% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 16,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 16,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 3 |
| 1960s | 22,300 people | 5,000 people | 35,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 27,700 people | 15,000 people | 40,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 12,200 people | 8,000 people | 16,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 7,400 people | 7,000 people | 9,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,100 people | 7,000 people | 14,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,600 people | 12,000 people | 16,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,000 people | 16,000 people | 16,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Ghana?
- Military personnel in Ghana was 16,000 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 40,000 people in 1972.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 people in 1957.
- How does Ghana rank for military personnel?
- Ghana ranks 105th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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 — 66 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.