Azerbaijan vs Iran: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Azerbaijan
0.8%
in 2020
Iran
0.7%
in 2020
Azerbaijan rank
31st
Iran rank
34th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Azerbaijan
- Iran
How they compare
Azerbaijan currently reports 0.8% against 0.7% in Iran, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Azerbaijan's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1992 it was Iran ahead.
Azerbaijan ranks 31st and Iran ranks 34th of 173 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Azerbaijan averaged higher in 3 and Iran in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Azerbaijan | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.1% | Iran |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Azerbaijan |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.1% | Azerbaijan |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.1% | Azerbaijan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Azerbaijan or Iran?
- Azerbaijan, at 0.8% against 0.7% in Iran as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Azerbaijan and Iran?
- 0.1%, with Azerbaijan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Azerbaijan and Iran?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2020.
- How do Azerbaijan and Iran rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Azerbaijan ranks 31st and Iran ranks 34th of 173 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.