India vs United Kingdom: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population

India
0.2%
in 2020
United Kingdom
0.2%
in 2020
India rank
117th
United Kingdom rank
115th

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time

  • India
  • United Kingdom
0.10.20.30.40.50.6198520022020

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 0.2% against 0.2% in India, a difference of 0.0%.

Across all 33 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.

India ranks 117th and United Kingdom ranks 115th of 173 countries.

United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1980s 0.2% 0.6% 0.4% United Kingdom
1990s 0.2% 0.4% 0.3% United Kingdom
2000s 0.2% 0.3% 0.1% United Kingdom
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, India or United Kingdom?
United Kingdom, at 0.2% against 0.2% in India as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between India and United Kingdom?
0.0%, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and United Kingdom?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do India and United Kingdom rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
India ranks 117th 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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.