Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia
Mongolia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia, 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
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia is 0.5%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia peaked at 1.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2020.
That places Mongolia 54th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.7% | — |
| 1989 | 1.6% | -9.5% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | -33.4% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -15.6% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +70.6% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +6.5% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -56.0% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
Mongolia compared with similar countries
- Mongolia's 0.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Mongolia's 0.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +70.6% | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| 1997 | -56.0% | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| 1992 | -33.4% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mongolia
More reference data data for Mongolia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8173 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0069 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0378 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Mongolia was 0.5% 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 Mongolia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Mongolia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- How does Mongolia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Mongolia ranks 54th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Mongolia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mongolia 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.