Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas

Bahamas: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
0.5%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
60th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 1996
All-time low
0.2%
in 1985
Years of data
27
1985–2020

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

0.20.40.60.811985200220201985: 0.197 %1995: 0.697 %1996: 1 %1997: 1 %1998: 1 %1999: 1 %2000: 0.988 %2001: 0.976 %2002: 0.271 %2003: 0.268 %2004: 0.253 %2005: 0.25 %2006: 0.247 %2007: 0.243 %2008: 0.279 %2009: 0.237 %2010: 0.234 %2011: 0.229 %2012: 0.226 %2013: 0.343 %2014: 0.34 %2015: 0.337 %2016: 0.335 %2017: 0.256 %2018: 0.331 %2019: 0.507 %2020: 0.505 %

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

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas is 0.5%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 115.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas peaked at 1.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1985.

Bahamas ranks 60th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

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

Annual values for Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas, 1985 to 2020.
Year % Change
1985 0.2%
1995 0.7% +252.7%
1996 1.0% +50.0%
1997 1.0% -2.7%
1998 1.0% -1.4%
1999 1.0% -0.1%
2000 1.0% -1.3%
2001 1.0% -1.2%
2002 0.3% -72.2%
2003 0.3% -1.2%
2004 0.3% -5.6%
2005 0.3% -1.2%
2006 0.2% -1.3%
2007 0.2% -1.4%
2008 0.3% +14.7%
2009 0.2% -15.1%
2010 0.2% -1.3%
2011 0.2% -2.3%
2012 0.2% -1.0%
2013 0.3% +51.5%
2014 0.3% -0.9%
2015 0.3% -0.8%
2016 0.3% -0.7%
2017 0.3% -23.6%
2018 0.3% +29.3%
2019 0.5% +53.1%
2020 0.5% -0.3%

Bahamas compared with similar countries

  • Bahamas's 0.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Bahamas's 0.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4%, 1.4× the median. (28 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas 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
1995 +252.7% 0.2% 0.7%
2002 -72.2% 1.0% 0.3%
2019 +53.1% 0.3% 0.5%
2013 +51.5% 0.2% 0.3%
1996 +50.0% 0.7% 1.0%
2018 +29.3% 0.3% 0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1990s 1.0% 0.7% 1.0% 5
2000s 0.4% 0.2% 1.0% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.2% 0.5% 10
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1

Countries ranked near Bahamas

  1. 57 Estonia 0.5% compare
  2. 58 Belize 0.5% compare
  3. 59 Croatia 0.5% compare
  4. 61 Portugal 0.5% compare
  5. 62 South Sudan 0.5% compare
  6. 63 Poland 0.5% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Bahamas

All data for Bahamas →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas was 0.5% 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 Bahamas?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1996.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Bahamas?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1985.
How does Bahamas rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Bahamas ranks 60th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Bahamas?
Over the last ten years it is up 115.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bahamas 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas. 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/bahamas-the/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-percent/bahamas-the/">Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bahamas</a> — Statizoid

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.