Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Romania

Romania: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.7%
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
43rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 1997
All-time low
0.5%
in 1990
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

00.511.51985200220201985: 0.838 %1989: 0.904 %1990: 0.549 %1991: 0.876 %1992: 0.751 %1993: 0.876 %1994: 0.879 %1995: 1.3 %1996: 1.4 %1997: 1.4 %1998: 1.3 %1999: 1.3 %2000: 1.3 %2001: 0.816 %2002: 0.823 %2003: 0.82 %2004: 0.822 %2005: 0.834 %2006: 0.732 %2007: 0.733 %2008: 0.738 %2009: 0.737 %2010: 0.753 %2011: 0.746 %2012: 0.751 %2013: 0.754 %2014: 0.758 %2015: 0.757 %2016: 0.754 %2017: 0.64 %2018: 0.646 %2019: 0.646 %2020: 0.66 %

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

Romania recorded 0.7% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Romania peaked at 1.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1990.

Romania ranks 43rd 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 0.9% 0.8% 0.9% 2
1990s 1.1% 0.5% 1.4% 10
2000s 0.8% 0.7% 1.3% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 40 Morocco 0.7% compare
  2. 41 Ukraine 0.7% compare
  3. 42 United Arab Emirates 0.7% compare
  4. 44 Panama 0.7% compare
  5. 45 Uruguay 0.6% compare
  6. 46 Dominican Republic 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Romania?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Romania was 0.7% 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1997.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1990.
How does Romania rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Romania ranks 43rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Romania 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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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.