Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in North Macedonia

North Macedonia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.9%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
28th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 1998
All-time low
0.4%
in 2009
Years of data
29
1992–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in North Macedonia, 1992–2020

0.40.60.811.21.41992200620201992: 0.492 %1993: 0.498 %1994: 0.502 %1995: 0.896 %1996: 0.889 %1997: 1.1 %1998: 1.3 %1999: 1.1 %2000: 1.1 %2001: 1.3 %2002: 0.959 %2003: 0.98 %2004: 0.815 %2005: 0.909 %2006: 0.909 %2007: 0.913 %2008: 0.918 %2009: 0.388 %2010: 0.39 %2011: 0.392 %2012: 0.395 %2013: 0.397 %2014: 0.4 %2015: 0.788 %2016: 0.795 %2017: 0.824 %2018: 0.833 %2019: 0.843 %2020: 0.855 %

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 North Macedonia is 0.9%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 119.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in North Macedonia peaked at 1.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2009.

That places North Macedonia 28th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.9% 0.5% 1.3% 8
2000s 0.9% 0.4% 1.3% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.4% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1

Countries ranked near North Macedonia

  1. 25 Russia 1.0% compare
  2. 26 Saudi Arabia 0.9% compare
  3. 27 Myanmar 0.9% compare
  4. 29 Colombia 0.8% compare
  5. 30 Turkmenistan 0.8% compare
  6. 31 Azerbaijan 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for North Macedonia

All data for North Macedonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in North Macedonia?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in North Macedonia was 0.9% 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 North Macedonia?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1998.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in North Macedonia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2009.
How does North Macedonia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
North Macedonia ranks 28th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in North Macedonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 119.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Macedonia 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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.