Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iran
Iran: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) was 2.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Iran, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Iran stood at 2.4%.
The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Iran peaked at 5.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2017.
That places Iran 22nd out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iran, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.9% | — |
| 1991 | 3.0% | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 3.3% | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | +42.2% |
| 1996 | 5.3% | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | -9.6% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -8.4% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | -8.5% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -29.9% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -24.7% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +20.9% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | +5.4% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 2.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 2.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iran's 2.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.1%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Iran 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +42.2% | 3.3% | 4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.0% | 2.9% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More public sector data for Iran
- Democracy, 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)
- Arms imports 42.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4587 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 100 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 42.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 86.19 current USD per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Iran?
- Armed forces personnel in Iran was 2.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 1996.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2017.
- How does Iran rank for armed forces personnel?
- Iran ranks 22nd out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.