Belgium vs Japan: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Belgium
0.2%
in 2020
Japan
0.2%
in 2020
Belgium rank
120th
Japan rank
121st
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Belgium
- Japan
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 0.2% against 0.2% in Japan, a difference of 0.0%.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Belgium has been ahead every year.
Belgium ranks 120th and Japan ranks 121st of 173 countries.
Belgium has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.8% | Belgium |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.4% | Belgium |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% | Belgium |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% | Belgium |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Belgium or Japan?
- Belgium, at 0.2% against 0.2% in Japan as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Belgium and Japan?
- 0.0%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Japan?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Belgium and Japan rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Belgium ranks 120th and Japan ranks 121st 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.