Armed forces personnel in Canada
Canada: Armed forces personnel was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Canada, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Canada recorded 0.4% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Canada peaked at 0.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2013.
That places Canada 142nd out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.6% | — |
| 1991 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -4.4% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -7.9% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -10.3% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +13.9% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -11.2% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 139 Ireland 0.4% compare
- 140 East Timor 0.4% compare
- 141 Sierra Leone 0.4% compare
- 143 New Zealand 0.3% compare
- 144 Cameroon 0.3% compare
- 145 China 0.3% compare
More public sector data for Canada
- Arms imports 149.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.61 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 96.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 149.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 711.23 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0129 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 7.78 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 29.35 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 8.65 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Canada?
- Armed forces personnel in Canada was 0.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2013.
- How does Canada rank for armed forces personnel?
- Canada ranks 142nd out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.