Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland
Iceland: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland, 1995–2020
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 Iceland is 0.0%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland peaked at 0.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2017.
That places Iceland 169th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | +19.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.0% | -17.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.0% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | +23.9% |
| 2007 | 0.0% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +38.0% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +10.1% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +23.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | — |
| 2020 | 0.0% | — |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%. (57 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | -100.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | +38.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 166 Liberia 0.0% compare
- 167 Mozambique 0.0% compare
- 168 Haiti 0.0% compare
- 169 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0% compare
- 169 Libya 0.0% compare
- 169 Palestine 0.0% compare
- 169 Seychelles 0.0% compare
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Iceland was 0.0% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Iceland ranks 169th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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 — 23 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.