Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Armed forces personnel was 1.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1992–2020
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 Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) is 1.6%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 2.5% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2013.
That places Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 5th out of 46 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 2.3% | — |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -16.4% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | +28.2% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -7.8% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | -6.4% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -6.8% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 2 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 8.6% compare
- 3 Syrian Arab Republic 5.4% compare
- 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
More public sector data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Arms imports 8.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 19.2 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0014 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 13.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 8.83 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 657.44 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0492 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 25.48 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 302.41 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 338.22 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Armed forces personnel in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 1.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1997.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2013.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for armed forces personnel?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 5th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.