Military personnel in Rwanda

Rwanda: Military personnel was 33,000 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
33,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
76th
of 194 countries
All-time high
70,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
1,000 people
in 1962
Years of data
61
1962–2022

Military personnel in Rwanda, 1962–2022

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k196219922022

Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel in Rwanda is 33,000 people, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Rwanda peaked at 70,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1,000 people, in 1962.

Rwanda ranks 76th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2,500 people 1,000 people 4,000 people 8
1970s 4,000 people 4,000 people 4,000 people 10
1980s 5,100 people 5,000 people 6,000 people 10
1990s 33,100 people 6,000 people 55,000 people 10
2000s 51,300 people 33,000 people 70,000 people 10
2010s 33,000 people 33,000 people 33,000 people 10
2020s 33,000 people 33,000 people 33,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 73 Tunisia 36,000 people compare
  2. 74 Bolivia 34,000 people compare
  3. 74 Netherlands 34,000 people compare
  4. 76 Chad 33,000 people compare
  5. 76 Niger 33,000 people compare
  6. 79 Hungary 32,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Rwanda?
Military personnel in Rwanda was 33,000 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 70,000 people in 2000.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 1,000 people in 1962.
How does Rwanda rank for military personnel?
Rwanda ranks 76th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Rwanda 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 — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

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.