Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Denmark

Denmark: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.3%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
103rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.6%
in 1995
All-time low
0.3%
in 2018
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

00.20.40.61985200220201985: 0.579 %1989: 0.604 %1990: 0.603 %1991: 0.582 %1992: 0.541 %1993: 0.52 %1994: 0.538 %1995: 0.632 %1996: 0.625 %1997: 0.623 %1998: 0.605 %1999: 0.507 %2000: 0.408 %2001: 0.399 %2002: 0.422 %2003: 0.423 %2004: 0.389 %2005: 0.387 %2006: 0.552 %2007: 0.549 %2008: 0.546 %2009: 0.339 %2010: 0.336 %2011: 0.295 %2012: 0.308 %2013: 0.306 %2014: 0.305 %2015: 0.292 %2016: 0.281 %2017: 0.26 %2018: 0.25 %2019: 0.258 %2020: 0.257 %

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 Denmark is 0.3%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Denmark peaked at 0.6% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2018.

Denmark ranks 103rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 2
1990s 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 10
2000s 0.4% 0.3% 0.6% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 100 Rwanda 0.3% compare
  2. 101 Chad 0.3% compare
  3. 102 Austria 0.3% compare
  4. 104 Czechia 0.3% compare
  5. 105 Guatemala 0.2% compare
  6. 106 Indonesia 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Denmark?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Denmark was 0.3% 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2018.
How does Denmark rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Denmark ranks 103rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Denmark 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.