Armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel was 3.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka stood at 3.7%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 39.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 12th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.3% | — |
| 1991 | 1.7% | +412.7% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 3.5% | +116.8% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -7.8% |
| 1997 | 3.1% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 2.8% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -16.6% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +6.1% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +13.3% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2% | 0.3% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- Arms imports 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 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 80 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 9.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 60.84 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0134 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 14.37 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.33 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 80.83 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka?
- Armed forces personnel in Sri Lanka was 3.7% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for armed forces personnel?
- Sri Lanka ranks 12th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.