Statizoid

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population by country

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.

Countries reporting
170
Highest
6.1%
Eritrea
Lowest
0.0%
Seychelles
Median
0.4%
Years covered
36
1985–2020
Data points
5,352

What the numbers show

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population is currently reported for 170 countries. The highest value is 6.1% in Eritrea; the lowest is 0.0% in Seychelles.

The median across all reporting countries is 0.4%, and the mean is 0.5%.

Over the past decade 47 countries rose and 122 fell. The largest increase was in Somalia (up 415.5%), and the largest decrease in Antigua and Barbuda (down 100.0%).

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Eritrea 6.1% 2020 down 10.4% rising
2 North Korea 5.6% 2020 up 1.8% rising
3 Israel 2.0% 2020 down 19.6% falling
4 Montenegro 2.0% 2020 down 4.6% falling
5 Brunei 1.8% 2020 down 24.2% rising
6 Laos 1.8% 2020 down 13.8% rising
7 Belarus 1.7% 2020 down 12.3% rising
8 Armenia 1.6% 2020 down 14.2% rising
9 Sri Lanka 1.4% 2020 up 31.5% rising
10 Lebanon 1.4% 2020 down 10.6% rising
11 Greece 1.4% 2020 up 2.1% falling
12 Lithuania 1.3% 2020 up 62.4% rising
13 Bahrain 1.3% 2020 down 20.1% falling
14 Syria 1.3% 2020 down 28.7% falling
15 Venezuela 1.2% 2020 up 202.1% volatile
16 Djibouti 1.2% 2020 down 15.5% rising
17 Cambodia 1.1% 2020 down 13.4% falling
18 South Korea 1.1% 2020 down 18.9% falling
19 Iraq 1.1% 2020 down 57.8% volatile
20 Jordan 1.1% 2020 down 29.5% falling
21 Singapore 1.0% 2020 down 63.9% falling
22 Oman 1.0% 2020 down 39.0% falling
23 Bhutan 1.0% 2000 up 16.2% rising
24 Cyprus 1.0% 2020 down 11.7% falling
25 Russia 1.0% 2020 down 0.0% falling
26 Saudi Arabia 0.9% 2020 down 8.1% falling
27 Myanmar 0.9% 2020 down 16.6% rising
28 North Macedonia 0.9% 2020 up 119.2% falling
29 Colombia 0.8% 2020 down 14.3% rising
30 Turkmenistan 0.8% 2020 up 107.4% rising
31 Azerbaijan 0.8% 2020 down 10.1% falling
32 Qatar 0.8% 2020 up 13.7% falling
33 Egypt 0.8% 2020 down 18.4% flat
34 Iran 0.7% 2020 up 1.9% falling
35 Algeria 0.7% 2020 down 15.6% rising
36 Sao Tome and Principe 0.7% 1999 down 15.8% falling
37 Georgia 0.7% 2020 down 17.5% rising
38 Cuba 0.7% 2020 up 1.8% volatile
39 El Salvador 0.7% 2020 up 25.8% falling
40 Morocco 0.7% 2020 down 11.2% falling
41 Ukraine 0.7% 2020 up 44.2% falling
42 United Arab Emirates 0.7% 2020 down 9.3% volatile
43 Romania 0.7% 2020 down 12.3% falling
44 Panama 0.7% 2020 up 97.2% rising
45 Uruguay 0.6% 2020 down 15.6% falling
46 Dominican Republic 0.6% 2020 up 60.3% rising
47 Thailand 0.6% 2020 up 3.8% rising
48 Bolivia 0.6% 2020 down 26.5% rising
49 Turkey 0.6% 2020 down 28.8% falling
50 Chile 0.6% 2020 down 2.6% falling
51 Namibia 0.6% 2020 down 18.6% rising
52 Kuwait 0.6% 2020 down 26.0% falling
53 Italy 0.6% 2020 down 5.6% falling
54 Mongolia 0.5% 2020 down 14.1% falling
55 Bulgaria 0.5% 2020 down 39.2% falling
56 Vietnam 0.5% 2020 down 10.8% falling
57 Estonia 0.5% 2020 up 21.9% rising
58 Belize 0.5% 2020 up 56.1% falling
59 Croatia 0.5% 2020 up 0.7% volatile
60 Bahamas 0.5% 2020 up 115.9% volatile
61 Portugal 0.5% 2020 down 41.3% falling
62 South Sudan 0.5% 2020 down 65.5% falling
63 Poland 0.5% 2020 up 55.4% falling
64 Peru 0.5% 2020 down 27.1% falling
65 Latvia 0.5% 2020 up 115.9% flat
66 Hungary 0.5% 2020 up 36.1% falling
67 Norway 0.5% 2020 down 7.1% falling
68 Serbia 0.5% 2020 up 17.6% volatile
69 France 0.5% 2020 down 14.5% falling
70 Mauritania 0.5% 2020 down 25.8% falling
71 Paraguay 0.4% 2020 down 1.0% falling
72 Fiji 0.4% 2020 up 13.7% falling
73 Afghanistan 0.4% 2020 down 61.1% volatile
74 Spain 0.4% 2020 down 12.4% falling
75 United States 0.4% 2020 down 18.5% falling
76 Malaysia 0.4% 2020 down 13.9% falling
77 Pakistan 0.4% 2020 down 15.5% falling
78 Tunisia 0.4% 2020 down 9.7% falling
79 Finland 0.4% 2020 down 14.6% falling
80 Nepal 0.4% 2020 down 33.0% rising
82 Botswana 0.4% 2020 down 26.3% falling
83 Guyana 0.4% 2020 up 7.1% falling
84 Brazil 0.4% 2020 down 0.9% rising
85 Kazakhstan 0.4% 2020 down 23.8% falling
86 Barbados 0.4% 2020 up 60.2% flat
87 Angola 0.3% 2020 down 30.4% falling
88 Trinidad and Tobago 0.3% 2020 up 15.2% rising
89 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.3% 2020 up 20.1% volatile
90 Slovenia 0.3% 2020 down 43.7% falling
91 Slovakia 0.3% 2020 up 12.6% volatile
92 Zimbabwe 0.3% 2020 down 13.6% falling
93 Suriname 0.3% 2020 down 2.4% falling
94 Kyrgyzstan 0.3% 2020 down 15.2% rising
95 Sudan 0.3% 2020 down 14.0% rising
96 Gabon 0.3% 2020 down 22.6% falling
97 Eswatini 0.3% 1999 down 39.0% falling
98 Albania 0.3% 2020 down 44.7% volatile
99 Mexico 0.3% 2020 down 7.9% rising
100 Rwanda 0.3% 2020 down 21.0% volatile
101 Chad 0.3% 2020 down 7.7% falling
102 Austria 0.3% 2020 down 16.3% falling
103 Denmark 0.3% 2020 down 23.4% falling
104 Czechia 0.3% 2020 down 6.1% volatile
105 Guatemala 0.2% 2020 up 5.0% falling
106 Indonesia 0.2% 2020 up 4.1% rising
107 Burundi 0.2% 2020 down 54.9% volatile
108 Ecuador 0.2% 2020 down 38.8% falling
109 Mauritius 0.2% 2020 up 49.9% rising
110 Australia 0.2% 2020 down 8.7% falling
111 Netherlands 0.2% 2020 down 9.9% falling
112 Switzerland 0.2% 2020 down 28.4% volatile
113 Argentina 0.2% 2020 down 9.8% falling
114 Honduras 0.2% 2020 down 4.9% falling
115 United Kingdom 0.2% 2020 down 17.8% falling
116 Germany 0.2% 2020 down 29.7% falling
117 India 0.2% 2020 up 3.6% rising
118 Jamaica 0.2% 2020 up 105.9% rising
119 Congo 0.2% 2020 down 22.4% falling
120 Belgium 0.2% 2020 down 36.4% volatile
121 Japan 0.2% 2020 up 1.7% flat
122 Uzbekistan 0.2% 2020 down 33.9% falling
123 Central African Republic 0.2% 2020 up 183.8% rising
124 Guinea-Bissau 0.2% 2020 down 51.8% falling
125 Costa Rica 0.2% 2020 down 7.7% falling
126 New Zealand 0.2% 2020 down 11.3% falling
127 Moldova 0.2% 2020 down 8.2% falling
128 Cape Verde 0.2% 2020 down 17.5% volatile
129 Mali 0.2% 2020 up 147.8% falling
130 Canada 0.2% 2020 down 1.8% falling
131 Nicaragua 0.2% 2020 down 12.6% volatile
133 China 0.2% 2020 down 18.4% falling
134 Tajikistan 0.2% 2020 down 18.1% rising
135 Gambia 0.2% 2020 up 282.9% volatile
137 East Timor 0.2% 2020 up 22.8% rising
138 South Africa 0.1% 2020 down 0.3% volatile
139 Sweden 0.1% 2020 down 35.8% volatile
140 Philippines 0.1% 2020 down 18.5% falling
141 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.1% 2020 down 39.8% rising
142 Bangladesh 0.1% 2020 down 6.0% rising
143 Cameroon 0.1% 2020 up 10.0% falling
144 Togo 0.1% 2020 down 12.7% falling
145 Ethiopia 0.1% 2020 down 23.9% volatile
146 Sierra Leone 0.1% 2020 down 32.6% falling
147 Senegal 0.1% 2020 down 23.2% falling
148 Yemen 0.1% 2020 down 78.5% falling
149 Nigeria 0.1% 2020 up 7.2% rising
150 Uganda 0.1% 2020 down 28.4% falling
151 Guinea 0.1% 2020 down 47.6% falling
152 Cote d'Ivoire 0.1% 2020 up 10.7% volatile
153 Benin 0.1% 2020 up 24.1% falling
154 Lesotho 0.1% 2020 down 10.7% falling
155 Somalia 0.1% 2020 up 415.5% volatile
156 Zambia 0.1% 2020 down 28.9% falling
157 Malawi 0.1% 2020 up 114.8% falling
158 Madagascar 0.1% 2020 down 22.0% falling
159 Equatorial Guinea 0.1% 2020 down 47.5% volatile
160 Burkina Faso 0.1% 2020 down 27.6% falling
161 Ghana 0.1% 2020 down 17.5% falling
162 Kenya 0.0% 2020 down 34.3% falling
163 Tanzania 0.0% 2020 down 27.6% falling
164 Niger 0.0% 2020 down 34.8% falling
165 Papua New Guinea 0.0% 2020 up 0.3% falling
166 Liberia 0.0% 2020 down 22.7% volatile
167 Mozambique 0.0% 2020 down 26.6% volatile
168 Haiti 0.0% 2020 — volatile
169 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% falling
169 Iceland 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% falling
169 Libya 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% falling
169 Palestine 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% volatile
169 Seychelles 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% volatile

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.