Top 10 African countries with the fewest west number of potential soldiers

A low population reaching military age has a direct influence on a country’s capacity to sustain a strong and well-staffed military, including within Africa.

• Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 African countries with the fewest number of potential soldiers.
• This list is courtesy of Global Firepower.
• Nigeria ranks number 1 on the list. 

While this is hardly a problem for most African countries, given Africa’s growing population, there is no doubt that some African countries simply don’t have the numbers to immediately enlist people into their military.

With fewer young people available for recruitment, the armed services of any given nation is at risk of struggling to satisfy operational objectives, including national defense, peacekeeping operations, and disaster response.

This deficit is especially problematic for African countries confronting security concerns such as terrorism, insurgency, and cross-border conflicts.

Countries in conflict-prone regions may struggle to maintain an efficient defense force, leaving them exposed to both internal and external attacks.

With fewer recruits joining the military, governments may be pushed to prolong current personnel’s service periods or rely significantly on veteran soldiers.

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While this can provide continuity, it also risks overburdening the present workers, resulting in fatigue, low morale, and decreased performance.

Furthermore, African countries have historically made major contributions to regional and international peacekeeping efforts.

However, a lack of youngsters reaching military age may limit a country’s capacity to join in such efforts, undermining regional cooperation and security.

With a limited pool of potential recruits, governments frequently have to invest more money in recruiting operations to entice young people to join the military.

These efforts may include giving greater salaries, better benefits, or educational incentives, all of which might put pressure on the public budget.

Additionally, maintaining existing soldiers becomes vital, necessitating increased spending on training, professional development, and welfare programs to keep the military workforce motivated and dedicated.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the lowest population reaching military age, according to data from Global Firepower.

Top 10 African countries with the fewest number of potential soldiers