Armed forces personnel, total in Malawi

Malawi: Armed forces personnel, total was 15,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
15,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
117th
of 173 countries
All-time high
15,000
in 2017
All-time low
5,300
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Malawi, 1985–2020

05.0k10.0k15.0k1985200220201985: 5.3k1989: 7.0k1990: 7.0k1991: 8.0k1992: 10.0k1993: 10.0k1994: 10.0k1995: 9.5k1996: 10.8k1997: 6.0k1998: 6.0k1999: 6.0k2000: 6.0k2001: 6.8k2002: 6.8k2003: 6.8k2004: 6.0k2005: 7.0k2006: 7.0k2007: 7.0k2008: 7.0k2009: 5.3k2010: 5.3k2011: 6.8k2012: 6.8k2013: 6.8k2014: 6.8k2015: 6.8k2016: 14.9k2017: 15.0k2018: 14.7k2019: 15.0k2020: 15.0k

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded 15,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 183.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Malawi peaked at 15,000 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5,300, in 1985.

That places Malawi 117th 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 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6,150 5,300 7,000 2
1990s 8,330 6,000 10,800 10
2000s 6,570 5,300 7,000 10
2010s 9,890 5,300 15,000 10
2020s 15,000 15,000 15,000 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 117 Denmark 15,000 compare
  2. 117 Sweden 15,000 compare
  3. 120 Somalia 14,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Malawi?
Armed forces personnel, total in Malawi was 15,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 15,000 in 2017.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 5,300 in 1985.
How does Malawi rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Malawi ranks 117th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 183.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 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.