Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France
France: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France, 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 France stood at 0.5%. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France peaked at 1.0% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2020.
That places France 69th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.8% | — |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +16.8% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -9.4% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -0.3% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 0.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- France's 0.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More reference data data for France
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 18.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 11.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 106.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in France was 0.5% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- France ranks 69th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.