Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iceland
Iceland: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) was 0.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Iceland, 1995–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 0.0% for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Iceland peaked at 0.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2017.
Iceland ranks 169th of 171 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.1% | — |
| 1996 | 0.1% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | +20.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | -19.2% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | +22.5% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +38.8% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +22.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | — |
| 2020 | 0.0% | — |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 0.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%. (55 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 0.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.9%. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | -100.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | +38.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More public sector data for Iceland
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 0 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 0 current USD (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per square kilometre 0 current USD per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Iceland?
- Armed forces personnel in Iceland was 0.0% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2017.
- How does Iceland rank for armed forces personnel?
- Iceland ranks 169th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.