Armed forces personnel in Australia
Australia: Armed forces personnel was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Australia, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.4% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Australia peaked at 0.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2019.
That places Australia 125th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.8% | — |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | -6.2% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -14.1% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -10.0% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 122 Somalia 0.5% compare
- 123 Belgium 0.5% compare
- 124 United Kingdom 0.4% compare
- 126 Germany 0.4% compare
- 127 Netherlands 0.4% compare
- 128 Costa Rica 0.4% compare
More public sector data for Australia
- Arms imports 983.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 36.15 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0006 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 159.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 983.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,244 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0192 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 33.82 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 49.27 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Australia?
- Armed forces personnel in Australia was 0.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2019.
- How does Australia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Australia ranks 125th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force). 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 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.