Armed forces personnel in United States of America
United States of America: Armed forces personnel was 0.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in United States of America, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in United States of America stood at 0.8%.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in United States of America peaked at 1.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2017.
United States of America ranks 87th 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 in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.7% | — |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -7.1% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -8.9% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More public sector data for United States of America
- Arms imports 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 52.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.21 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,933 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.034 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 997.31 billion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 86.58 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in United States of America?
- Armed forces personnel in United States of America was 0.8% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2017.
- How does United States of America rank for armed forces personnel?
- United States of America ranks 87th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America 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.