Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia
Malaysia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia, 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
Malaysia recorded 0.4% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia peaked at 0.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2020.
Malaysia ranks 76th 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 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More reference data data for Malaysia
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.3171 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.4881 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0702 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4538 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 134.6 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 Malaysia?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia was 0.4% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Malaysia ranks 76th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.