Eritrea vs Israel: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Eritrea
6.1%
in 2020
Israel
2.0%
in 2020
Eritrea rank
1st
Israel rank
3rd
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Eritrea
- Israel
How they compare
Eritrea currently reports 6.1% against 2.0% in Israel, a difference of 4.1%.
That makes Eritrea's figure about 3.0 times Israel's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Israel ahead.
Eritrea ranks 1st and Israel ranks 3rd of 173 countries.
Eritrea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eritrea | Israel | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.3% | 0.2% | Eritrea |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 2.7% | 4.9% | Eritrea |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 2.3% | 4.2% | Eritrea |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 2.0% | 4.1% | Eritrea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Eritrea or Israel?
- Eritrea, at 6.1% against 2.0% in Israel as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Eritrea and Israel?
- 4.1%, with Eritrea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and Israel?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2020.
- How do Eritrea and Israel rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Eritrea ranks 1st and Israel ranks 3rd 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.