Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France
France: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0045 units per person in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France stood at 0.0045 units per person. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France peaked at 0.0096 units per person in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0045 units per person, in 2020.
France ranks 70th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0082 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0.0096 units per person | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 0.0094 units per person | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 0.0093 units per person | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 0.0089 units per person | -4.2% |
| 1993 | 0.0086 units per person | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 0.0085 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0084 units per person | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.0082 units per person | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 0.0079 units per person | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0075 units per person | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 0.0068 units per person | -9.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0064 units per person | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0061 units per person | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 0.0059 units per person | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.0058 units per person | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 0.0057 units per person | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.0057 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 0.0056 units per person | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0055 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.0055 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.0053 units per person | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.0053 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0051 units per person | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.005 units per person | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0048 units per person | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.0047 units per person | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.0046 units per person | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0046 units per person | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.0046 units per person | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0045 units per person | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.0045 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0045 units per person | -0.3% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 0.0045 units per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0045 units per person, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- France's 0.0045 units per person is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0046 units per person, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0089 units per person | 0.0082 units per person | 0.0096 units per person | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0084 units per person | 0.0068 units per person | 0.0094 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0057 units per person | 0.0053 units per person | 0.0064 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0048 units per person | 0.0045 units per person | 0.0053 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0045 units per person | 0.0045 units per person | 0.0045 units per person | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
More public sector data for France
- 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 236.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.74 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 56.67 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France?
- Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in France was 0.0045 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0096 units per person in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0045 units per person in 2020.
- How does France rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
- France ranks 70th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Armed forces personnel, total, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Armed forces personnel, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Armed forces personnel, total ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Armed forces personnel, total The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Armed forces personnel, total divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.