Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia, 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 Saudi Arabia is 0.9%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 10.0% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1985.
That places Saudi Arabia 26th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.8% | — |
| 1989 | 0.8% | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | +69.5% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +24.7% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -14.0% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -8.6% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | +16.6% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +10.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.7%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +69.5% | 0.8% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1985.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 26th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.