Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen
Yemen: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen, 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
In 2020, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen stood at 0.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 78.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen peaked at 0.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2018.
That places Yemen 148th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.6% | — |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -17.1% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | +97.1% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -51.5% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +55.8% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +26.5% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -9.7% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -85.9% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +94.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -51.5% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +94.2% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -2.8% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 0.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.2%, 70% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 0.1% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.7%, 15% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +97.1% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| 2019 | +94.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | +94.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | -85.9% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| 1996 | +55.8% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| 1992 | -51.5% | 0.9% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More reference data data for Yemen
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5619 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2189 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4503 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Yemen was 0.1% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2018.
- How does Yemen rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Yemen ranks 148th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 78.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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.