Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain
Spain: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain, 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
Spain recorded 0.4% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain peaked at 0.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2018.
Spain ranks 74th of 173 countries on this measure, 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.8% | — |
| 1989 | 0.7% | -14.4% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -6.7% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -20.0% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +31.6% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -8.3% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +15.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 0.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 90% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Spain's 0.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.5%, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain 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 | +31.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Spain was 0.4% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2018.
- How does Spain rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Spain ranks 74th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.