Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Germany
Germany: 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 Germany, 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 Germany stood at 0.2%.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Germany peaked at 0.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2015.
Germany ranks 116th 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.53 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 3.04 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -1.82 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.6168 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.25 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 137.8 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 Germany?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Germany 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2015.
- How does Germany rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Germany ranks 116th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.