Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bolivia

Bolivia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
48th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.9%
in 2006
All-time low
0.4%
in 1994
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

00.20.40.60.81985200220201985: 0.43 %1989: 0.43 %1990: 0.421 %1991: 0.453 %1992: 0.431 %1993: 0.422 %1994: 0.362 %1995: 0.814 %1996: 0.799 %1997: 0.864 %1998: 0.849 %1999: 0.823 %2000: 0.809 %2001: 0.784 %2002: 0.771 %2003: 0.758 %2004: 0.739 %2005: 0.748 %2006: 0.872 %2007: 0.857 %2008: 0.843 %2009: 0.831 %2010: 0.817 %2011: 0.804 %2012: 0.791 %2013: 0.779 %2014: 0.656 %2015: 0.646 %2016: 0.637 %2017: 0.626 %2018: 0.618 %2019: 0.608 %2020: 0.601 %

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 Bolivia is 0.6%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bolivia peaked at 0.9% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1994.

Bolivia ranks 48th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 2
1990s 0.6% 0.4% 0.9% 10
2000s 0.8% 0.7% 0.9% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near Bolivia

  1. 45 Uruguay 0.6% compare
  2. 46 Dominican Republic 0.6% compare
  3. 47 Thailand 0.6% compare
  4. 49 Turkey 0.6% compare
  5. 50 Chile 0.6% compare
  6. 51 Namibia 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Bolivia

All data for Bolivia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bolivia?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Bolivia was 0.6% 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 Bolivia?
The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2006.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Bolivia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1994.
How does Bolivia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Bolivia ranks 48th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Bolivia?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Bolivia 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.