Armed forces personnel, total in Kenya

Kenya: Armed forces personnel, total was 24,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
24,000
Change on year
down 17.2%
World rank
96th
of 173 countries
All-time high
29,400
in 2001
All-time low
13,700
in 1985
Years of data
32
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Kenya, 1985–2020

010.0k20.0k30.0k1985200220201985: 13.7k1989: 20.0k1990: 20.0k1991: 20.0k1992: 24.0k1993: 24.0k1994: 22.0k1995: 29.2k1996: 29.2k1997: 29.2k1998: 29.2k1999: 29.2k2000: 27.2k2001: 29.4k2002: 29.4k2003: 29.1k2004: 29.0k2005: 29.0k2007: 29.0k2008: 29.0k2009: 29.1k2010: 29.1k2011: 29.1k2012: 29.1k2013: 29.1k2014: 29.1k2015: 29.1k2016: 29.1k2017: 29.0k2018: 29.1k2019: 29.0k2020: 24.0k

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total in Kenya stood at 24,000.

That represents a change of down 17.2% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Kenya peaked at 29,400 in 2001 and was at its lowest, 13,700, in 1985.

That places Kenya 96th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 16,850 13,700 20,000 2
1990s 25,600 20,000 29,200 10
2000s 28,913 27,200 29,400 9
2010s 29,082 29,000 29,120 10
2020s 24,000 24,000 24,000 1

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 93 Georgia 26,000 compare
  2. 94 Kuwait 25,000 compare
  3. 94 Norway 25,000 compare
  4. 96 Belgium 24,000 compare
  5. 98 Austria 23,000 compare
  6. 98 Honduras 23,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Kenya?
Armed forces personnel, total in Kenya was 24,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 29,400 in 2001.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 13,700 in 1985.
How does Kenya rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Kenya ranks 96th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.