Military personnel in South Sudan
South Sudan: Military personnel was 53,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Military personnel in South Sudan, 2012–2022
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 South Sudan is 53,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 62.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in South Sudan peaked at 210,000 people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 53,000 people, in 2021.
That places South Sudan 60th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Military personnel in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 140,000 people | — |
| 2013 | 210,000 people | +50.0% |
| 2014 | 210,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 185,000 people | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 185,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 53,000 people | -71.4% |
| 2022 | 53,000 people | +0.0% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 53,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 33,000 people, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 53,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 3.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 185,625 people | 140,000 people | 210,000 people | 8 |
| 2020s | 97,000 people | 53,000 people | 185,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More reference data data for South Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3667 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.41 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 19,422 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 684.53 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 325.82 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 8,797 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 6.36 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 577.67 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 944.75 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in South Sudan?
- Military personnel in South Sudan was 53,000 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 South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 210,000 people in 2013.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 53,000 people in 2021.
- How does South Sudan rank for military personnel?
- South Sudan ranks 60th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Sudan 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 — 11 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.