Bhutan vs Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Bhutan
1.0%
in 2000
Saudi Arabia
0.9%
in 2020
Bhutan rank
23rd
Saudi Arabia rank
26th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Bhutan
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Bhutan currently reports 1.0% against 0.9% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Bhutan's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Bhutan ranks 23rd and Saudi Arabia ranks 26th of 173 countries.
Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bhutan | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.3% | 0.3% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Bhutan or Saudi Arabia?
- Bhutan, at 1.0% against 0.9% in Saudi Arabia as of 2000.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Bhutan and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.1%, with Bhutan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bhutan and Saudi Arabia?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2000.
- How do Bhutan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Bhutan ranks 23rd and Saudi Arabia ranks 26th 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.