Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Armed forces personnel was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 0.6% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 0.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2019.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 33rd of 46 groups on this measure, 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 East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.9% | — |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | +24.0% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -9.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 30 North Macedonia 2.0% compare
- 31 Russian Federation 2.0% compare
- 32 Myanmar 1.9% compare
- 33 Saudi Arabia 1.9% compare
- 34 Afghanistan 1.8% compare
- 35 Cyprus 1.8% compare
- 36 Singapore 1.7% compare
More public sector data for East Asia & Pacific
- Arms imports 4.69 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.96 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 12.28 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 4.69 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 217.12 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0161 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 518.54 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 170.8 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific?
- Armed forces personnel in East Asia & Pacific 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?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2019.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for armed forces personnel?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 33rd out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.