Germany vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Germany
0.2%
in 2020
United Kingdom
0.2%
in 2020
Germany rank
116th
United Kingdom rank
115th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Germany
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 0.2% against 0.2% in Germany, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 116th and United Kingdom ranks 115th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% | Germany |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | Germany |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | Germany |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Germany or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 0.2% against 0.2% in Germany as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Germany and United Kingdom?
- 0.0%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United Kingdom?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Germany and United Kingdom rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Germany ranks 116th and United Kingdom ranks 115th 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.