Netherlands vs Switzerland: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Netherlands
0.2%
in 2020
Switzerland
0.2%
in 2020
Netherlands rank
111th
Switzerland rank
112th
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 0.2% against 0.2% in Switzerland, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Netherlands ahead.
Netherlands ranks 111th and Switzerland ranks 112th of 173 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 3 and Switzerland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.4% | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.1% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Netherlands or Switzerland?
- Netherlands, at 0.2% against 0.2% in Switzerland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Netherlands and Switzerland?
- 0.0%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Switzerland?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do Netherlands and Switzerland rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Netherlands ranks 111th and Switzerland ranks 112th 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.