Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Armed forces personnel was 1.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1992–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) recorded 1.4% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 2.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2013.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 7th of 46 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 2.2% | — |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -16.2% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | +21.0% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -9.4% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- 4 Djibouti 5.4% compare
- 5 Sao Tome and Principe 5.1% compare
- 6 Montenegro 4.7% compare
- 7 Iraq 4.4% compare
- 8 Israel 4.2% compare
- 9 Lebanon 4.1% compare
- 10 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.1% compare
More public sector data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Arms imports 6.55 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 26.15 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0027 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 13.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 6.55 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 410.43 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0419 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 6.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 102.77 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 979.77 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 1.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2013.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for armed forces personnel?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 7th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (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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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.