Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 1.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 1.4%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka peaked at 1.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 9th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.1% | — |
| 1989 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | +396.3% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +110.6% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -16.9% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +17.9% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +14.1% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 1.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 3.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 1.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.4%, 3.6× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +396.3% | 0.1% | 0.7% |
| 1995 | +110.6% | 0.6% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Sri Lanka was 1.4% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Sri Lanka ranks 9th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.