Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Egypt

Egypt: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.8% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
0.8%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
33rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.0%
in 2006
All-time low
0.7%
in 1994
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

00.250.50.7511985200220201985: 0.877 %1989: 0.794 %1990: 0.743 %1991: 0.723 %1992: 0.69 %1993: 0.674 %1994: 0.669 %1995: 0.929 %1996: 1 %1997: 0.994 %1998: 0.972 %1999: 0.951 %2000: 0.928 %2001: 1 %2002: 1 %2003: 1 %2004: 1 %2005: 0.985 %2006: 1 %2007: 1 %2008: 1 %2009: 0.989 %2010: 0.937 %2011: 0.917 %2012: 0.897 %2013: 0.876 %2014: 0.857 %2015: 0.839 %2016: 0.822 %2017: 0.806 %2018: 0.791 %2019: 0.777 %2020: 0.765 %

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

Egypt recorded 0.8% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Egypt peaked at 1.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1994.

Egypt ranks 33rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.8% 0.8% 0.9% 2
1990s 0.8% 0.7% 1.0% 10
2000s 1.0% 0.9% 1.0% 10
2010s 0.9% 0.8% 0.9% 10
2020s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1

Countries ranked near Egypt

  1. 30 Turkmenistan 0.8% compare
  2. 31 Azerbaijan 0.8% compare
  3. 32 Qatar 0.8% compare
  4. 34 Iran 0.7% compare
  5. 35 Algeria 0.7% compare
  6. 36 Sao Tome and Principe 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Egypt

All data for Egypt →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Egypt?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Egypt was 0.8% 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 Egypt?
The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 2006.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Egypt?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1994.
How does Egypt rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Egypt ranks 33rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Egypt?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Egypt 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.