Armed forces personnel in France
France: Armed forces personnel was 1.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in France, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in France stood at 1.0%.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in France peaked at 2.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2019.
France ranks 70th of 171 countries 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 France, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.1% | — |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | -10.0% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More public sector data for France
- Arms imports 188.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.74 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 56.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 188.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 943.45 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0205 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 64.67 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 222.66 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in France?
- Armed forces personnel in France was 1.0% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2019.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel?
- France ranks 70th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.