Armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Armed forces personnel was 0.9% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 0.9% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 1.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1994.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 13th of 46 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.9% | — |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -10.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | +46.0% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 10 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.1% compare
- 11 Jordan 4.0% compare
- 12 Sri Lanka 3.7% compare
- 13 Brunei Darussalam 3.6% compare
- 14 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 3.5% compare
- 15 Armenia 3.2% compare
- 16 Greece 3.2% compare
More public sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Arms imports 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.9725 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 67.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 644.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 110.81 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0104 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 10.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 73.38 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 19.2 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Armed forces personnel in Latin America & Caribbean was 0.9% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1994.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for armed forces personnel?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 13th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.