Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Qatar

Qatar: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.8%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
32nd
of 173 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 1990
All-time low
0.5%
in 2015
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Qatar, 1985–2020

0.511.522.51985200220201985: 1.6 %1989: 1.6 %1990: 2.5 %1991: 2.4 %1992: 1.7 %1993: 1.7 %1994: 2 %1995: 2.2 %1996: 2.2 %1997: 2.1 %1998: 2 %1999: 1.9 %2000: 1.9 %2001: 1.8 %2002: 1.7 %2003: 1.7 %2004: 1.6 %2005: 1.5 %2006: 1.2 %2007: 0.993 %2008: 0.841 %2009: 0.744 %2010: 0.69 %2011: 0.652 %2012: 0.619 %2013: 0.581 %2014: 0.532 %2015: 0.486 %2016: 0.827 %2017: 0.813 %2018: 0.779 %2019: 0.786 %2020: 0.785 %

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 Qatar is 0.8%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Qatar peaked at 2.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2015.

Qatar ranks 32nd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 2
1990s 2.1% 1.7% 2.5% 10
2000s 1.4% 0.7% 1.9% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.5% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1

Countries ranked near Qatar

  1. 29 Colombia 0.8% compare
  2. 30 Turkmenistan 0.8% compare
  3. 31 Azerbaijan 0.8% compare
  4. 33 Egypt 0.8% compare
  5. 34 Iran 0.7% compare
  6. 35 Algeria 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Qatar

All data for Qatar →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Qatar?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Qatar was 0.8% 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 Qatar?
The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1990.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Qatar?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2015.
How does Qatar rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Qatar ranks 32nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Qatar?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Qatar 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

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.