Armed forces personnel in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Armed forces personnel was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Least developed countries, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Least developed countries stood at 0.6%. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is down 11.7% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Least developed countries peaked at 1.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2020.
That places Least developed countries 32nd out of 44 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.9% | — |
| 1991 | 0.8% | -6.2% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -8.1% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +70.2% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -20.6% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -7.6% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -11.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 29 Mauritania 2.0% compare
- 30 North Macedonia 2.0% compare
- 31 Russian Federation 2.0% compare
- 32 Myanmar 1.9% compare
- 33 Saudi Arabia 1.9% compare
- 34 Afghanistan 1.8% compare
- 35 Cyprus 1.8% compare
More public sector data for Least developed countries
- Arms imports 748.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.645 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0005 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -26.74 % change on previous year (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 748.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 19.79 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0152 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 19.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 23.48 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 36.74 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Least developed countries?
- Armed forces personnel in Least developed countries was 0.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1999.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
- How does Least developed countries rank for armed forces personnel?
- Least developed countries ranks 32nd out of 44 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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.