Zimbabwe Military - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) (2021)

Military expenditures

0.7% of GDP (2019)

1.2% of GDP (2018)

1.5% of GDP (2017)

1.8% of GDP (2016)

1.9% of GDP (2015)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 30,000 active duty troops, including about 4,000 serving in the Air Force (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the ZDF inventory is comprised mostly of older Chinese- and Russian-origin equipment; since 2000, China is the leading arms supplier to the ZDF, although there are no recorded deliveries of weapons since 2006; since the early 2000s, Zimbabwe has been under an arms embargo from the European Union, as well as targeted sanctions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US (2020)

Military service age and obligation

18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (18-24 for officer cadets; 18-30 for technical/specialist personnel); no conscription; women are eligible to serve (2021)

Military - note

the ZDF was formed after independence from the former Rhodesian Army and the two guerrilla forces that opposed it during the Rhodesian Civil War (aka "Bush War") of the 1970s, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA); internal security is a key current responsibility, and the military continues to play an active role in the country’s politics since the coup of 2017

NOTE: The information regarding Zimbabwe on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Zimbabwe 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Zimbabwe 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.