Colombia vs Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Colombia
0.8%
in 2020
Saudi Arabia
0.9%
in 2020
Colombia rank
29th
Saudi Arabia rank
26th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Colombia
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.9% against 0.8% in Colombia, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Colombia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Colombia ranks 29th and Saudi Arabia ranks 26th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 1 and Saudi Arabia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.5% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 1.3% | 0.8% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.1% | Colombia |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 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, Colombia or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 0.9% against 0.8% in Colombia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Colombia and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.1%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and Saudi Arabia?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Colombia and Saudi Arabia rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Colombia ranks 29th 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.