Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members

OECD members: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0043 units per person in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.0043 units per person
Change on year
down 1.6%
Rank
12th
of 43 groups
All-time high
0.0073 units per person
in 1989
All-time low
0.0043 units per person
in 2020
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members, 1985–2020

00.0020.0040.0060.0081985200220201985: 0.007 units per person1989: 0.007 units per person1990: 0.007 units per person1991: 0.007 units per person1992: 0.007 units per person1993: 0.006 units per person1994: 0.006 units per person1995: 0.006 units per person1996: 0.006 units per person1997: 0.006 units per person1998: 0.006 units per person1999: 0.006 units per person2000: 0.006 units per person2001: 0.005 units per person2002: 0.005 units per person2003: 0.005 units per person2004: 0.005 units per person2005: 0.005 units per person2006: 0.005 units per person2007: 0.005 units per person2008: 0.005 units per person2009: 0.005 units per person2010: 0.005 units per person2011: 0.005 units per person2012: 0.005 units per person2013: 0.005 units per person2014: 0.005 units per person2015: 0.004 units per person2016: 0.004 units per person2017: 0.004 units per person2018: 0.004 units per person2019: 0.004 units per person2020: 0.004 units per person

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.

Analysis

The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members is 0.0043 units per person, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members peaked at 0.0073 units per person in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0043 units per person, in 2020.

That places OECD members 12th out of 43 groups with data for 2020, putting it 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 OECD members, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members, 1985 to 2020.
Year units per person Change
1985 0.0069 units per person
1989 0.0073 units per person +5.2%
1990 0.0071 units per person -2.1%
1991 0.007 units per person -2.2%
1992 0.0065 units per person -6.3%
1993 0.0064 units per person -2.6%
1994 0.0063 units per person -0.8%
1995 0.0064 units per person +0.5%
1996 0.0062 units per person -2.0%
1997 0.0061 units per person -1.8%
1998 0.0061 units per person -0.8%
1999 0.0059 units per person -2.3%
2000 0.0056 units per person -5.5%
2001 0.0054 units per person -3.9%
2002 0.0054 units per person -0.5%
2003 0.0053 units per person -0.8%
2004 0.0051 units per person -3.8%
2005 0.0053 units per person +3.3%
2006 0.0051 units per person -3.2%
2007 0.0051 units per person -0.5%
2008 0.005 units per person -0.8%
2009 0.0049 units per person -1.9%
2010 0.0049 units per person -0.3%
2011 0.0048 units per person -2.7%
2012 0.0048 units per person -0.6%
2013 0.0047 units per person -1.8%
2014 0.0046 units per person -1.8%
2015 0.0045 units per person -2.7%
2016 0.0045 units per person -0.4%
2017 0.0044 units per person -0.9%
2018 0.0044 units per person -0.5%
2019 0.0044 units per person -0.9%
2020 0.0043 units per person -1.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0071 units per person 0.0069 units per person 0.0073 units per person 2
1990s 0.0064 units per person 0.0059 units per person 0.0071 units per person 10
2000s 0.0052 units per person 0.0049 units per person 0.0056 units per person 10
2010s 0.0046 units per person 0.0044 units per person 0.0049 units per person 10
2020s 0.0043 units per person 0.0043 units per person 0.0043 units per person 1

Countries ranked near OECD members

  1. 9 Sri Lanka 0.0145 units per person compare
  2. 10 Lebanon 0.014 units per person compare
  3. 11 Greece 0.0137 units per person compare
  4. 12 Lithuania 0.0132 units per person compare
  5. 13 Bahrain 0.0129 units per person compare
  6. 14 Syrian Arab Republic 0.0128 units per person compare
  7. 15 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 0.0121 units per person compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for OECD members

All data for OECD members →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members?
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members was 0.0043 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in OECD members?
The highest recorded value was 0.0073 units per person in 1989.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in OECD members?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0043 units per person in 2020.
How does OECD members rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
OECD members ranks 12th out of 43 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in OECD members?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this OECD members 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.

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Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in OECD members. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-per-capita/oecd-members/

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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

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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita
Unit
units per person
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.