Military personnel in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Military personnel was 29,000 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
29,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
81st
of 194 countries
All-time high
94,000
in 1980
All-time low
10,000
in 1965
Years of data
58
1965–2022
Military personnel in Zimbabwe, 1965–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in Zimbabwe stood at 29,000.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Zimbabwe peaked at 94,000 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 10,000, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 10,000 | — |
| 1966 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 10,000 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 11,000 | +10.0% |
| 1969 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 11,000 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 15,000 | +36.4% |
| 1975 | 15,000 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 17,000 | +13.3% |
| 1977 | 17,000 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 24,000 | +41.2% |
| 1979 | 38,000 | +58.3% |
| 1980 | 94,000 | +147.4% |
| 1981 | 74,000 | -21.3% |
| 1982 | 50,000 | -32.4% |
| 1983 | 46,000 | -8.0% |
| 1984 | 46,000 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 46,000 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 45,000 | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 45,000 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 45,000 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 51,000 | +13.3% |
| 1990 | 45,000 | -11.8% |
| 1991 | 45,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 48,000 | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 48,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 43,000 | -10.4% |
| 1995 | 40,000 | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 40,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 39,000 | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 26,000 | -33.3% |
| 2003 | 29,000 | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 29,000 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 29,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10,400 | 10,000 | 11,000 | 5 |
| 1970s | 17,000 | 11,000 | 38,000 | 10 |
| 1980s | 54,200 | 45,000 | 94,000 | 10 |
| 1990s | 42,900 | 40,000 | 48,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 30,800 | 26,000 | 40,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 29,000 | 29,000 | 29,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29,000 | 29,000 | 29,000 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More reference data data for Zimbabwe
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.1903 (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2726 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8086 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies -0.5886 (2026)
- 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)
- Urban area long term, annual growth rate 1.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban area long term, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban area long term, per capita 0.0002 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Zimbabwe?
- Military personnel in Zimbabwe was 29,000 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 94,000 in 1980.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,000 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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