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
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay, 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
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.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.1% | — |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -17.3% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -7.9% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -7.6% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -13.8% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -0.1% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 0.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 0.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4%, 1.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Uruguay
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2999 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3685 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2195 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 33.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.01 (2050)
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
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.