Malaysia vs Spain: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Malaysia
0.4%
in 2020
Spain
0.4%
in 2020
Malaysia rank
76th
Spain rank
74th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Malaysia
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 0.4% against 0.4% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Spain ahead.
Malaysia ranks 76th and Spain ranks 74th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 1 and Spain in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | Spain |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Spain |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Spain |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Malaysia or Spain?
- Spain, at 0.4% against 0.4% in Malaysia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Malaysia and Spain?
- 0.0%, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Spain?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Malaysia and Spain rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Malaysia ranks 76th and Spain ranks 74th 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.