Armed forces personnel in World
World: Armed forces personnel was 0.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in World, 1990–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
World recorded 0.8% for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in World peaked at 1.2% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2019.
That places World 20th out of 44 groups with data for 2020, putting it 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 World, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.1% | — |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -6.7% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -5.2% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +27.6% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near World
More public sector data for World
- Arms imports 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.54 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 -2.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 28.82 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 325.74 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0237 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 11.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 2.65 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 228.6 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in World?
- Armed forces personnel in World was 0.8% in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 1995.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2019.
- How does World rank for armed forces personnel?
- World ranks 20th out of 44 groups with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.