North Korea vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel

North Korea
8.6%
in 2020
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
2.1%
in 2020
North Korea rank
2nd
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank
3rd

Armed forces personnel over time

  • North Korea
  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
246810199020052020

How they compare

North Korea currently reports 8.6% against 2.1% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), a difference of 6.5%.

That makes North Korea's figure about 4.1 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s.

Across all 31 years both countries report, North Korea has been ahead every year.

North Korea ranks 2nd and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 171 countries.

North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North Korea Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) Difference Ahead
1990s 8.8% 3.5% 5.3% North Korea
2000s 8.5% 2.9% 5.6% North Korea
2010s 8.5% 2.3% 6.2% North Korea
2020s 8.6% 2.1% 6.5% North Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel, North Korea or Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
North Korea, at 8.6% against 2.1% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel between North Korea and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
6.5%, with North Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
31 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
How do North Korea and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank globally for armed forces personnel?
North Korea ranks 2nd and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 171 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

North Korea vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel. Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-percent-of-total-labor-force/korea-dem-people-s-rep/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/armed-forces-personnel-percent-of-total-labor-force/korea-dem-people-s-rep/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/">North Korea vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force)
Unit
% of total labor force
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
217 places, 6,411 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.