Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bangladesh

Bangladesh: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.1%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
142nd
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.2%
in 2004
All-time low
0.1%
in 1993
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

00.050.10.150.21985200220201985: 0.091 %1989: 0.094 %1990: 0.092 %1991: 0.094 %1992: 0.092 %1993: 0.091 %1994: 0.094 %1995: 0.139 %1996: 0.134 %1997: 0.134 %1998: 0.132 %1999: 0.145 %2000: 0.102 %2001: 0.146 %2002: 0.144 %2003: 0.134 %2004: 0.176 %2005: 0.174 %2006: 0.146 %2007: 0.149 %2008: 0.148 %2009: 0.146 %2010: 0.145 %2011: 0.144 %2012: 0.142 %2013: 0.141 %2014: 0.14 %2015: 0.139 %2016: 0.137 %2017: 0.136 %2018: 0.139 %2019: 0.138 %2020: 0.137 %

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 Bangladesh stood at 0.1%.

That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bangladesh peaked at 0.2% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1993.

That places Bangladesh 142nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1990s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 10
2000s 0.1% 0.1% 0.2% 10
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1

Countries ranked near Bangladesh

  1. 139 Sweden 0.1% compare
  2. 140 Philippines 0.1% compare
  3. 141 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.1% compare
  4. 143 Cameroon 0.1% compare
  5. 144 Togo 0.1% compare
  6. 145 Ethiopia 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Bangladesh

All data for Bangladesh →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bangladesh?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bangladesh was 0.1% 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 Bangladesh?
The highest recorded value was 0.2% in 2004.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Bangladesh?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1993.
How does Bangladesh rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Bangladesh ranks 142nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Bangladesh?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bangladesh 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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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.