Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia

Armenia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 1.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
1.6%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
8th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 2011
All-time low
0.6%
in 1992
Years of data
29
1992–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia, 1992–2020

0.511.521992200620201992: 0.56 %1993: 0.608 %1994: 1.3 %1995: 1.8 %1996: 1.8 %1997: 1.9 %1998: 1.7 %1999: 1.7 %2000: 1.4 %2001: 1.4 %2002: 1.5 %2003: 1.5 %2004: 1.6 %2005: 1.6 %2006: 1.6 %2007: 1.4 %2008: 1.4 %2009: 1.9 %2010: 1.9 %2011: 1.9 %2012: 1.7 %2013: 1.7 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.7 %2016: 1.7 %2017: 1.7 %2018: 1.7 %2019: 1.7 %2020: 1.6 %

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. Measured in %.

Analysis

Armenia recorded 1.6% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.

That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia peaked at 1.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1992.

That places Armenia 8th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia, 1992 to 2020.
Year % Change
1992 0.6%
1993 0.6% +8.6%
1994 1.3% +119.9%
1995 1.8% +37.9%
1996 1.8% -3.4%
1997 1.9% +5.5%
1998 1.7% -9.8%
1999 1.7% +1.3%
2000 1.4% -21.2%
2001 1.4% +3.0%
2002 1.5% +7.0%
2003 1.5% +0.5%
2004 1.6% +8.0%
2005 1.6% +0.5%
2006 1.6% -3.6%
2007 1.4% -10.2%
2008 1.4% +0.5%
2009 1.9% +33.0%
2010 1.9% +0.4%
2011 1.9% +0.3%
2012 1.7% -11.6%
2013 1.7% +0.0%
2014 1.7% +0.0%
2015 1.7% +0.0%
2016 1.7% +0.1%
2017 1.7% -0.1%
2018 1.7% -0.2%
2019 1.7% +0.6%
2020 1.6% -3.6%

Armenia compared with similar countries

  • Armenia's 1.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 3.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
  • Armenia's 1.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 3.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1994 +119.9% 0.6% 1.3%
1995 +37.9% 1.3% 1.8%
2009 +33.0% 1.4% 1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.4% 0.6% 1.9% 8
2000s 1.5% 1.4% 1.9% 10
2010s 1.7% 1.7% 1.9% 10
2020s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1

Countries ranked near Armenia

  1. 5 Brunei 1.8% compare
  2. 6 Laos 1.8% compare
  3. 7 Belarus 1.7% compare
  4. 9 Sri Lanka 1.4% compare
  5. 10 Lebanon 1.4% compare
  6. 11 Greece 1.4% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Armenia

All data for Armenia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia was 1.6% in 2020, according to 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.
What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Armenia?
The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2011.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Armenia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1992.
How does Armenia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Armenia ranks 8th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Armenia?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Armenia data come from?
The figures 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 part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Armenia. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-percent/armenia/

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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.