Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Ireland
Ireland: 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 Ireland, 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
Ireland recorded 0.2% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Ireland peaked at 0.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2018.
Ireland ranks 132nd of 173 regions on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.01 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.31 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.6528 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies -0.5528 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8957 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 130.04 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 Ireland?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Ireland 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2018.
- How does Ireland rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Ireland ranks 132nd out of 173 regions with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
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.