Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay

Uruguay: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
45th
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.1%
in 1985
All-time low
0.6%
in 2020
Years of data
32
1985–2020

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

00.250.50.7511985200220201985: 1.1 %1989: 0.875 %1990: 0.805 %1991: 0.801 %1992: 0.796 %1993: 0.792 %1994: 0.788 %1995: 0.831 %1996: 0.827 %1997: 0.808 %1998: 0.819 %1999: 0.815 %2000: 0.753 %2001: 0.757 %2002: 0.756 %2003: 0.759 %2004: 0.759 %2005: 0.758 %2007: 0.786 %2008: 0.784 %2009: 0.769 %2010: 0.767 %2011: 0.765 %2012: 0.763 %2013: 0.761 %2014: 0.758 %2015: 0.756 %2016: 0.753 %2017: 0.649 %2018: 0.651 %2019: 0.648 %2020: 0.647 %

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

Uruguay recorded 0.6% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 15.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay peaked at 1.1% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2020.

That places Uruguay 45th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.0% 0.9% 1.1% 2
1990s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 10
2000s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 9
2010s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 42 United Arab Emirates 0.7% compare
  2. 43 Romania 0.7% compare
  3. 44 Panama 0.7% compare
  4. 46 Dominican Republic 0.6% compare
  5. 47 Thailand 0.6% compare
  6. 48 Bolivia 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay?
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay was 0.6% 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1985.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
How does Uruguay rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Uruguay ranks 45th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uruguay 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

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.