Malaysia vs United States: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Malaysia
0.4%
in 2020
United States
0.4%
in 2020
Malaysia rank
76th
United States rank
75th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Malaysia
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 0.4% against 0.4% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States ahead.
Malaysia ranks 76th and United States ranks 75th of 173 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.2% | United States |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.0% | United States |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | United States |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | United States |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | United States |
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 United States?
- United States, 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 United States?
- 0.0%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and United States?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Malaysia and United States rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Malaysia ranks 76th and United States ranks 75th 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.