Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Canada
Canada: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Canada, 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 Canada stood at 0.2%.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Canada peaked at 0.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2016.
Canada ranks 130th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Spring temperature anomalies -4.58 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 2.12 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.47 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -2.57 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 140.97 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Canada?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Canada was 0.2% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2016.
- How does Canada rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Canada ranks 130th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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
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.