Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria

Austria: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.3%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
102nd
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 1985
All-time low
0.2%
in 2017
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria, 1985–2020

0.20.30.40.50.60.71985200220201985: 0.723 %1989: 0.63 %1990: 0.56 %1991: 0.567 %1992: 0.561 %1993: 0.569 %1994: 0.567 %1995: 0.702 %1996: 0.701 %1997: 0.571 %1998: 0.57 %1999: 0.507 %2000: 0.505 %2001: 0.43 %2002: 0.428 %2003: 0.426 %2004: 0.477 %2005: 0.486 %2006: 0.484 %2007: 0.422 %2008: 0.421 %2009: 0.31 %2010: 0.308 %2011: 0.277 %2012: 0.27 %2013: 0.265 %2014: 0.263 %2015: 0.247 %2016: 0.256 %2017: 0.239 %2018: 0.258 %2019: 0.248 %2020: 0.258 %

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

In 2020, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria stood at 0.3%.

The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria peaked at 0.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2017.

Austria ranks 102nd of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.7% 0.6% 0.7% 2
1990s 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 10
2000s 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1

Countries ranked near Austria

  1. 99 Mexico 0.3% compare
  2. 100 Rwanda 0.3% compare
  3. 101 Chad 0.3% compare
  4. 103 Denmark 0.3% compare
  5. 104 Czechia 0.3% compare
  6. 105 Guatemala 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Austria

All data for Austria →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Austria was 0.3% 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 Austria?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1985.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Austria?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2017.
How does Austria rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Austria ranks 102nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Austria?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Austria 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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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.