Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Turkey
Turkey: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) was 1.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Turkey, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 1.6% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 30.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Turkey peaked at 3.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2019.
That places Turkey 40th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3.8% | — |
| 1991 | 3.8% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 3.3% | -13.0% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -16.2% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | +15.9% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | -21.0% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -19.3% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +6.0% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 1.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 1.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.9%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More public sector data for Turkey
- 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 381.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 4.46 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 -43.89 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Turkey?
- Armed forces personnel in Turkey was 1.6% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2019.
- How does Turkey rank for armed forces personnel?
- Turkey ranks 40th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey 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.