Armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Armed forces personnel was 2.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) recorded 2.1% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 4.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2017.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 2nd out of 46 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.1% | — |
| 1991 | 3.1% | -24.8% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | +42.7% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 3.9% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | -10.9% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -13.6% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -15.2% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | -0.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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 | +42.7% | 2.7% | 3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.5% | 2.7% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- 1 Eritrea 13.3% compare
- 2 North Korea 8.6% compare
- 3 Syria 5.4% compare
- 4 Djibouti 5.4% compare
- 5 Sao Tome and Principe 5.1% compare
More public sector data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Arms imports 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 1.88 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0006 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -69.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.39 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 79.4 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0268 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 58.47 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 453.25 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Armed forces personnel in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 2.1% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2017.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for armed forces personnel?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 2nd out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.