Military personnel in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Military personnel was 29,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
29,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
81st
of 194 countries
All-time high
94,000 people
in 1980
All-time low
10,000 people
in 1965
Years of data
58
1965–2022
Military personnel in Zimbabwe, 1965–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in Zimbabwe stood at 29,000 people.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Zimbabwe peaked at 94,000 people in 1980 and was at its lowest, 10,000 people, in 1965.
That places Zimbabwe 81st 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 58 years of available data.
Military personnel in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 10,000 people | — |
| 1966 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 11,000 people | +10.0% |
| 1969 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 11,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 15,000 people | +36.4% |
| 1975 | 15,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 17,000 people | +13.3% |
| 1977 | 17,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 24,000 people | +41.2% |
| 1979 | 38,000 people | +58.3% |
| 1980 | 94,000 people | +147.4% |
| 1981 | 74,000 people | -21.3% |
| 1982 | 50,000 people | -32.4% |
| 1983 | 46,000 people | -8.0% |
| 1984 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 46,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 45,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 45,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 45,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 51,000 people | +13.3% |
| 1990 | 45,000 people | -11.8% |
| 1991 | 45,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 48,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 48,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 43,000 people | -10.4% |
| 1995 | 40,000 people | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 39,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 26,000 people | -33.3% |
| 2003 | 29,000 people | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29,000 people | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 29,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 29,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10,400 people | 10,000 people | 11,000 people | 5 |
| 1970s | 17,000 people | 11,000 people | 38,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 54,200 people | 45,000 people | 94,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 42,900 people | 40,000 people | 48,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 30,800 people | 26,000 people | 40,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 29,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 58,959 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2024)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 122.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 11,077 2010 = 100 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Zimbabwe?
- Military personnel in Zimbabwe was 29,000 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 94,000 people in 1980.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,000 people in 1965.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for military personnel?
- Zimbabwe ranks 81st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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 — 58 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.