Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Spain
Spain: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Spain, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Spain stood at 0.9%.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Spain peaked at 1.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2017.
Spain ranks 82nd of 171 countries on this measure, 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.7% | — |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -20.6% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | +31.2% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 1.5% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -10.4% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +11.9% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -14.3% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +1.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 0.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 94% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Spain's 0.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.9%, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Spain 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 | +31.2% | 1.3% | 1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More public sector data for Spain
- 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 237.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.03 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -16.85 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Spain?
- Armed forces personnel in Spain was 0.9% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2017.
- How does Spain rank for armed forces personnel?
- Spain ranks 82nd out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.