Military personnel in Kenya

Kenya: Military personnel was 24,000 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
24,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
91st
of 194 countries
All-time high
25,000
in 1998
All-time low
3,000
in 1963
Years of data
60
1963–2022

Military personnel in Kenya, 1963–2022

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k196319922022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Kenya recorded 24,000 for military personnel in 2022.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Kenya peaked at 25,000 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3,000, in 1963.

That places Kenya 91st 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 60 years of available data.

Military personnel in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel in Kenya, 1963 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1963 3,000 —
1964 15,000 +400.0%
1965 16,000 +6.7%
1966 17,000 +6.2%
1967 16,000 -5.9%
1968 8,000 -50.0%
1969 7,000 -12.5%
1970 7,000 +0.0%
1971 7,000 +0.0%
1972 7,000 +0.0%
1973 8,000 +14.3%
1974 9,000 +12.5%
1975 9,000 +0.0%
1976 9,000 +0.0%
1977 13,000 +44.4%
1978 13,000 +0.0%
1979 13,000 +0.0%
1980 13,000 +0.0%
1981 17,000 +30.8%
1982 19,000 +11.8%
1983 18,000 -5.3%
1984 19,000 +5.6%
1985 19,000 +0.0%
1986 20,000 +5.3%
1987 21,000 +5.0%
1988 20,000 -4.8%
1989 20,000 +0.0%
1990 20,000 +0.0%
1991 20,000 +0.0%
1992 24,000 +20.0%
1993 24,000 +0.0%
1994 22,000 -8.3%
1995 22,000 +0.0%
1996 24,000 +9.1%
1997 24,000 +0.0%
1998 25,000 +4.2%
1999 24,000 -4.0%
2000 22,000 -8.3%
2001 24,000 +9.1%
2002 24,000 +0.0%
2003 24,000 +0.0%
2004 24,000 +0.0%
2005 24,000 +0.0%
2006 24,000 +0.0%
2007 24,000 +0.0%
2008 24,000 +0.0%
2009 24,000 +0.0%
2010 24,000 +0.0%
2011 24,000 +0.0%
2012 24,000 +0.0%
2013 24,000 +0.0%
2014 24,000 +0.0%
2015 24,000 +0.0%
2016 24,000 +0.0%
2017 24,000 +0.0%
2018 24,000 +0.0%
2019 24,000 +0.0%
2020 24,000 +0.0%
2021 24,000 +0.0%
2022 24,000 +0.0%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 24,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 24,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 11,714 3,000 17,000 7
1970s 9,500 7,000 13,000 10
1980s 18,600 13,000 21,000 10
1990s 22,900 20,000 25,000 10
2000s 23,800 22,000 24,000 10
2010s 24,000 24,000 24,000 10
2020s 24,000 24,000 24,000 3

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 88 Cameroon 25,000 compare
  2. 88 El Salvador 25,000 compare
  3. 88 Norway 25,000 compare
  4. 92 Austria 23,000 compare
  5. 92 Belgium 23,000 compare
  6. 92 Lithuania 23,000 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Kenya?
Military personnel in Kenya was 24,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 25,000 in 1998.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 in 1963.
How does Kenya rank for military personnel?
Kenya ranks 91st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya 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 Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel/kenya/

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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