Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei
Brunei: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 1.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei, 1985–2020
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 Brunei stood at 1.8%.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei peaked at 3.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1993.
That places Brunei 5th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.9% | — |
| 1989 | 1.6% | -13.9% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.8% | +21.9% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | +75.6% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -19.5% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | +29.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | -34.7% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
Brunei compared with similar countries
- Brunei's 1.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 3.9× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Brunei's 1.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5%, 3.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +75.6% | 1.8% | 3.1% |
| 2017 | -34.7% | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| 2016 | +29.2% | 2.2% | 2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.4% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Brunei
More reference data data for Brunei
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 23.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.071 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0594 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 89.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 177.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5816 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 63.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Brunei was 1.8% 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 Brunei?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Brunei?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1993.
- How does Brunei rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Brunei ranks 5th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Brunei?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brunei 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
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.