Armed forces personnel in OECD members
OECD members: Armed forces personnel was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in OECD members, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
OECD members recorded 0.9% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in OECD members peaked at 1.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2019.
That places OECD members 17th 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 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in OECD members, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.6% | — |
| 1991 | 1.5% | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | -7.2% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
More public sector data for OECD members
- Arms imports 11.87 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 8.5 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 26.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 11.87 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,238 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0253 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 12.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.73 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 265.52 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in OECD members?
- Armed forces personnel in OECD members was 0.9% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2019.
- How does OECD members rank for armed forces personnel?
- OECD members ranks 17th out of 44 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.