Armed forces personnel in Germany
Germany: Armed forces personnel was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Germany, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Germany stood at 0.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Germany peaked at 1.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2017.
That places Germany 126th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.4% | — |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -9.7% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -9.6% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -33.0% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +39.2% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -14.8% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -21.4% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 123 Belgium 0.5% compare
- 124 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.4% compare
- 125 Australia 0.4% compare
- 127 Netherlands 0.4% compare
- 128 Costa Rica 0.4% compare
- 129 Jamaica 0.4% compare
More public sector data for Germany
- Arms imports 239.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.86 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 19.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 239.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,059 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0189 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 31.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 88.46 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 572.36 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Germany?
- Armed forces personnel in Germany was 0.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2017.
- How does Germany rank for armed forces personnel?
- Germany ranks 126th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.