Malawi vs Zambia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Malawi
0.1%
in 2020
Zambia
0.1%
in 2020
Malawi rank
157th
Zambia rank
156th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Malawi
- Zambia
How they compare
Zambia currently reports 0.1% against 0.1% in Malawi, a difference of 0.0%.
That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 times Malawi's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Zambia has been ahead every year.
Malawi ranks 157th and Zambia ranks 156th of 173 countries.
Zambia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | Zambia |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | Zambia |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | Zambia |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | Zambia |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | Zambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Malawi or Zambia?
- Zambia, at 0.1% against 0.1% in Malawi as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Malawi and Zambia?
- 0.0%, with Zambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Malawi ranks 157th and Zambia ranks 156th 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.