Armed forces personnel in South Asia
South Asia: Armed forces personnel was 0.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in South Asia, 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 South Asia is 0.6%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in South Asia peaked at 0.7% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1994.
That places South Asia 36th out of 46 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.4% | — |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +66.1% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +10.0% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -13.9% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 33 Saudi Arabia 1.9% compare
- 34 Afghanistan 1.8% compare
- 35 Cyprus 1.8% compare
- 36 Singapore 1.7% compare
- 37 Colombia 1.7% compare
- 38 Namibia 1.7% compare
- 39 El Salvador 1.6% compare
More public sector data for South Asia
- Arms imports 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.7506 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -19.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.26 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 54.8 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0211 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 4.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 91.92 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 467.61 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in South Asia?
- Armed forces personnel in South Asia was 0.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1994.
- How does South Asia rank for armed forces personnel?
- South Asia ranks 36th out of 46 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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.