Armed forces personnel in Sweden
Sweden: Armed forces personnel was 0.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Armed forces personnel in Sweden, 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 Sweden is 0.3%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Sweden peaked at 2.2% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2020.
Sweden ranks 150th of 171 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Armed forces personnel in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.4% | — |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +13.2% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +40.5% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -22.5% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -56.5% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -14.9% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -29.6% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +24.0% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -24.9% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +88.2% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -50.1% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More public sector data for Sweden
- Arms imports 66.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 6.24 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 -32.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 66.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 1,139 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0199 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 37.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 12.04 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 240.63 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Sweden?
- Armed forces personnel in Sweden was 0.3% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2020.
- How does Sweden rank for armed forces personnel?
- Sweden ranks 150th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sweden 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.