Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)

East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.6%
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
35th
of 46 groups
All-time high
0.9%
in 1995
All-time low
0.6%
in 2019
Years of data
31
1990–2020

Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1990–2020

00.20.40.60.81990200520201990: 0.829 % of total labor force1991: 0.787 % of total labor force1992: 0.75 % of total labor force1993: 0.714 % of total labor force1994: 0.672 % of total labor force1995: 0.888 % of total labor force1996: 0.872 % of total labor force1997: 0.806 % of total labor force1998: 0.817 % of total labor force1999: 0.805 % of total labor force2000: 0.806 % of total labor force2001: 0.773 % of total labor force2002: 0.768 % of total labor force2003: 0.762 % of total labor force2004: 0.73 % of total labor force2005: 0.74 % of total labor force2006: 0.719 % of total labor force2007: 0.642 % of total labor force2008: 0.637 % of total labor force2009: 0.647 % of total labor force2010: 0.645 % of total labor force2011: 0.651 % of total labor force2012: 0.65 % of total labor force2013: 0.648 % of total labor force2014: 0.645 % of total labor force2015: 0.629 % of total labor force2016: 0.622 % of total labor force2017: 0.621 % of total labor force2018: 0.618 % of total labor force2019: 0.602 % of total labor force2020: 0.608 % of total labor force

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) is 0.6%, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 0.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2019.

That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 35th out of 46 groups 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 East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1990 to 2020.
Year % of total labor force Change
1990 0.8%
1991 0.8% -5.0%
1992 0.8% -4.6%
1993 0.7% -4.8%
1994 0.7% -6.0%
1995 0.9% +32.2%
1996 0.9% -1.8%
1997 0.8% -7.5%
1998 0.8% +1.4%
1999 0.8% -1.5%
2000 0.8% +0.1%
2001 0.8% -4.1%
2002 0.8% -0.6%
2003 0.8% -0.8%
2004 0.7% -4.3%
2005 0.7% +1.4%
2006 0.7% -2.8%
2007 0.6% -10.7%
2008 0.6% -0.8%
2009 0.6% +1.6%
2010 0.6% -0.3%
2011 0.7% +1.0%
2012 0.7% -0.2%
2013 0.6% -0.3%
2014 0.6% -0.6%
2015 0.6% -2.5%
2016 0.6% -1.1%
2017 0.6% -0.2%
2018 0.6% -0.4%
2019 0.6% -2.6%
2020 0.6% +0.9%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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.

YearChange FromTo
1995 +32.2% 0.7% 0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.8% 0.7% 0.9% 10
2000s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
2010s 0.6% 0.6% 0.7% 10
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1

Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)

  1. 32 Myanmar 1.9% compare
  2. 33 Saudi Arabia 1.9% compare
  3. 34 Afghanistan 1.8% compare
  4. 35 Cyprus 1.8% compare
  5. 36 Singapore 1.7% compare
  6. 37 Colombia 1.7% compare
  7. 38 Namibia 1.7% compare

See the full ranking of 217 places →

More public sector data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)

All data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 0.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2019.
How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for armed forces personnel?
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 35th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 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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Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-percent-of-total-labor-force/east-asia-and-pacific-excluding-high-income/

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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.