Chart

Military Personnel as a Percentage of Population in South Africa, 1987-2016

Military Personnel as a Percentage of Population in South Africa, 1987-2016

Share the statistic on social media channels or embed the statistic in your website using "Embed Code", where available.

Share chart

Embed chart
Select Citation

Cite this statistic and select one of the following formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA & Bluebook


  • APA
  • Chicago
  • Harvard
  • MLA
  • Bluebook
  • IEEE
TGM StatBox. (2024). Military Personnel as a Percentage of Population in South Africa, 1987-2016. TGM StatBox.
Insights

Key Takeaways

South Africa maintained a relatively low percentage of military personnel, starting at 0.3% in 1987 and declining further by 1990 as apartheid ended and the country began to refocus on inclusive governance and economic growth. As urbanization increased, particularly in cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa’s military reliance shifted towards modernization with minimal growth in personnel.

By the early 2000s, South Africa maintained a stable rate of 0.1%, emphasizing professionalization within a smaller military structure. Urban growth remained steady, underscoring a trend away from military expenditure toward urban and economic development. This stability reflects South Africa’s broader regional priorities of social development and security restructuring within a largely urbanized framework.

Find out more through related statistics on South Africa’s population size, South Africa’s fertility rate trends, South Africa’s population density.

AI-powered chart insight: This summary is automatically generated to help you understand the chart at a glance. It is intended as an overview; view the full chart and underlying data for complete context.

Related report

Would You Like to Know More?
Explore Our South Africa Report

Charts library

Further Recommended South Africa Statistics

Statbox vector
The briefing
New data, in your inbox

Consumer insights, data stories and product updates as we publish them. No other mail, and one click to leave.

Roughly two emails a month.

Research services
Have a question our newsroom hasn't answered? Ask it directly.

Our team can run the study behind the story — in 60+ countries, on your question, with the data belonging to you.