Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela
Venezuela: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 1.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela, 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
Venezuela recorded 1.2% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 202.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela peaked at 1.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1985.
That places Venezuela 15th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.3% | — |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +38.1% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | +30.9% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | -23.5% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +35.9% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +127.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +26.5% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +1.7% |
Venezuela compared with similar countries
- Venezuela's 1.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 5.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Venezuela's 1.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4%, 3.3× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +127.8% | 0.4% | 0.9% |
| 1989 | +38.1% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2007 | +35.9% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2001 | +30.9% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2017 | +26.5% | 0.9% | 1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Venezuela
More reference data data for Venezuela
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2667 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 51.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 506.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 1,190 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 14,168 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.16 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Venezuela was 1.2% 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 Venezuela?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Venezuela?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1985.
- How does Venezuela rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Venezuela ranks 15th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Venezuela?
- Over the last ten years it is up 202.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Venezuela 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.