Military personnel in Tanzania
Tanzania: Military personnel was 27,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
27,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
84th
of 194 countries
All-time high
84,000 people
in 1983
All-time low
1,000 people
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Military personnel in Tanzania, 1961–2022
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 Tanzania is 27,000 people, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Tanzania peaked at 84,000 people in 1983 and was at its lowest, 1,000 people, in 1961.
That places Tanzania 84th 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 62 years of available data.
Military personnel in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,000 people | — |
| 1962 | 2,000 people | +100.0% |
| 1963 | 8,000 people | +300.0% |
| 1964 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 10,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1966 | 12,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1967 | 13,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1968 | 14,000 people | +7.7% |
| 1969 | 15,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 20,000 people | +33.3% |
| 1971 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 25,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1973 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 20,000 people | -20.0% |
| 1975 | 25,000 people | +25.0% |
| 1976 | 25,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 31,000 people | +24.0% |
| 1978 | 63,000 people | +103.2% |
| 1979 | 53,000 people | -15.9% |
| 1980 | 53,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 43,000 people | -18.9% |
| 1982 | 43,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 84,000 people | +95.3% |
| 1984 | 43,000 people | -48.8% |
| 1985 | 43,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 40,000 people | -7.0% |
| 1987 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 46,000 people | +15.0% |
| 1993 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 50,000 people | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 50,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 35,000 people | -30.0% |
| 1998 | 35,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 35,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 34,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 27,000 people | -20.6% |
| 2002 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 27,000 people | +0.0% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 27,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 27,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9,222 people | 1,000 people | 15,000 people | 9 |
| 1970s | 30,700 people | 20,000 people | 63,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46,900 people | 40,000 people | 84,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 42,700 people | 35,000 people | 50,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 27,700 people | 27,000 people | 34,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 27,000 people | 27,000 people | 27,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 27,000 people | 27,000 people | 27,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More reference data data for Tanzania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 59.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 72.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Tanzania?
- Military personnel in Tanzania was 27,000 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 84,000 people in 1983.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,000 people in 1961.
- How does Tanzania rank for military personnel?
- Tanzania ranks 84th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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 — 62 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.