Egypt, Arab Rep. vs Iran, Islamic Rep.: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Egypt, Arab Rep.
0.8%
in 2020
Iran, Islamic Rep.
0.7%
in 2020
Egypt, Arab Rep. rank
33rd
Iran, Islamic Rep. rank
34th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Egypt, Arab Rep.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.
How they compare
Egypt, Arab Rep. currently reports 0.8% against 0.7% in Iran, Islamic Rep., a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Iran, Islamic Rep. ahead.
Egypt, Arab Rep. ranks 33rd and Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 34th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Egypt, Arab Rep. averaged higher in 3 and Iran, Islamic Rep. in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Egypt, Arab Rep. | Iran, Islamic Rep. | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.3% | Iran, Islamic Rep. |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.2% | Iran, Islamic Rep. |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Egypt, Arab Rep. |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.1% | Egypt, Arab Rep. |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.0% | Egypt, Arab Rep. |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Egypt, Arab Rep. or Iran, Islamic Rep.?
- Egypt, Arab Rep., at 0.8% against 0.7% in Iran, Islamic Rep. as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Egypt, Arab Rep. and Iran, Islamic Rep.?
- 0.1%, with Egypt, Arab Rep. ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Egypt, Arab Rep. and Iran, Islamic Rep.?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Egypt, Arab Rep. and Iran, Islamic Rep. rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Egypt, Arab Rep. ranks 33rd and Iran, Islamic Rep. 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.