Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico
Mexico: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico, 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
Mexico recorded 0.3% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico peaked at 0.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1985.
Mexico ranks 99th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.2% | — |
| 1989 | 0.2% | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | +11.5% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +35.4% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | +3.1% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 0.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 0.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4%, 73% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +35.4% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More reference data data for Mexico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 84.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 157.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mexico was 0.3% 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1985.
- How does Mexico rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Mexico ranks 99th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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.