Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) was 0.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Malaysia, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Malaysia is 0.8%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Malaysia peaked at 2.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2020.
That places Malaysia 90th 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 (% of total labor force) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.1% | — |
| 1991 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -13.4% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | +17.7% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -10.4% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -1.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 78% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 87 United States 0.8% compare
- 88 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.8% compare
- 89 Kyrgyzstan 0.8% compare
- 91 Finland 0.8% compare
- 92 Trinidad and Tobago 0.8% compare
- 93 Brazil 0.8% compare
More public sector data for Malaysia
- 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)
- Arms imports 7.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.1993 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -90.14 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Malaysia?
- Armed forces personnel in Malaysia was 0.8% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for armed forces personnel?
- Malaysia ranks 90th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.