Burkina Faso - Armed forces personnel, total

The value for Armed forces personnel, total in Burkina Faso was 11,000 as of 2019. As the graph below shows, over the past 34 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 15,000 in 2003 and a minimum value of 4,000 in 1985.

Definition: 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.

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

See also:

Year Value
1985 4,000
1989 8,000
1990 10,000
1991 10,000
1992 9,000
1993 9,000
1994 9,000
1995 10,300
1996 10,300
1997 10,000
1998 10,250
1999 10,300
2000 11,300
2001 14,200
2002 14,400
2003 15,000
2004 10,250
2005 11,250
2007 11,250
2008 11,250
2009 11,450
2010 11,450
2011 11,450
2012 11,450
2013 11,450
2014 11,450
2015 11,450
2016 11,450
2017 11,000
2018 11,200
2019 11,000

Development Relevance: Although national defense is an important function of government and security from external threats that contributes to economic development, high military expenditures for defense or civil conflicts burden the economy and may impede growth. Data on military expenditures are a rough indicator of the portion of national resources used for military activities and of the burden on the economy. Comparisons of military spending among countries should take into account the many factors that influence perceptions of vulnerability and risk, including historical and cultural traditions, the length of borders that need defending, the quality of relations with neighbors, and the role of the armed forces in the body politic.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data excludes personnel not on active duty, therefore it underestimates the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. The cooperation of governments of all countries listed in “The Military Balance” has been sought by IISS and, in many cases, received. However, some data in “The Military Balance” is estimated.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Military data on manpower represent quantitative assessment of the personnel strengths of the world's armed forces. The IISS collects the data from a wide variety of sources. The numbers are based on the most accurate data available to, or on the best estimate that can be made by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at the time of its annual publication. The current WDI indicator includes active armed forces and active paramilitary (but not reservists). Armed forces personnel comprise all servicemen and women on full-time duty, including conscripts and long-term assignments from the Reserves (“Reserve” describes formations and units not fully manned or operational in peacetime, but which can be mobilized by recalling reservists in an emergency). The indicator includes paramilitary forces. The source of the data (IISS) reports armed forces and paramilitary forces separately, however these figures are added for the purpose of computing this series. Home Guard units are counted as paramilitary.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

Classification

Topic: Public Sector Indicators

Sub-Topic: Defense & arms trade