Bahrain vs Syria: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Bahrain
1.3%
in 2020
Syria
1.3%
in 2020
Bahrain rank
13th
Syria rank
14th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Bahrain
- Syria
How they compare
Bahrain currently reports 1.3% against 1.3% in Syria, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Syria ahead.
Bahrain ranks 13th and Syria ranks 14th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Bahrain averaged higher in 3 and Syria in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bahrain | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 3.5% | 2.7% | Syria |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 3.0% | 0.6% | Syria |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 0.1% | Bahrain |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.2% | Bahrain |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.0% | Bahrain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Bahrain or Syria?
- Bahrain, at 1.3% against 1.3% in Syria as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Bahrain and Syria?
- 0.0%, with Bahrain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bahrain and Syria?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Bahrain and Syria rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Bahrain ranks 13th and Syria ranks 14th 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.