Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea
Eritrea: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 6.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea, 1993–2020
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
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea is 6.1%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea peaked at 9.0% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1997.
That places Eritrea 1st out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.5% | 2.1% | 9.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
- 2 North Korea 5.6% compare
- 3 Israel 2.0% compare
- 4 Montenegro 2.0% compare
More reference data data for Eritrea
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.03 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6441 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4557 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.253 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.3232 °C (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Eritrea was 6.1% 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 Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 9.0% in 1999.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1997.
- How does Eritrea rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Eritrea ranks 1st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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 — 27 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.