Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal
Portugal: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.005 units per person in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 0.005 units per person for armed forces personnel, total, per capita in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal peaked at 0.0122 units per person in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.005 units per person, in 2017.
That places Portugal 61st out of 173 countries 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0073 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0.0104 units per person | +42.7% |
| 1990 | 0.0087 units per person | -16.2% |
| 1991 | 0.0086 units per person | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 0.008 units per person | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 0.0068 units per person | -15.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0122 units per person | +78.9% |
| 1995 | 0.0104 units per person | -15.0% |
| 1996 | 0.0103 units per person | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 0.0099 units per person | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 0.0093 units per person | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 0.0089 units per person | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 0.0088 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.0087 units per person | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.0086 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.0089 units per person | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0087 units per person | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0089 units per person | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0086 units per person | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 0.0086 units per person | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.0086 units per person | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.0086 units per person | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0085 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 0.0086 units per person | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.0086 units per person | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0076 units per person | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 0.0075 units per person | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 0.0071 units per person | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 0.0072 units per person | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.005 units per person | -30.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0051 units per person | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.0051 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.005 units per person | -0.1% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 0.005 units per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.0045 units per person, 1.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 0.005 units per person is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.0046 units per person, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +78.9% | 0.0068 units per person | 0.0122 units per person |
| 1989 | +42.7% | 0.0073 units per person | 0.0104 units per person |
| 2017 | -30.0% | 0.0072 units per person | 0.005 units per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0088 units per person | 0.0073 units per person | 0.0104 units per person | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0093 units per person | 0.0068 units per person | 0.0122 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0087 units per person | 0.0086 units per person | 0.0089 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.007 units per person | 0.005 units per person | 0.0086 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.005 units per person | 0.005 units per person | 0.005 units per person | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More public sector data for Portugal
- 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 90.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 5.7 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -8.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal?
- Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Portugal was 0.005 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0122 units per person in 1994.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.005 units per person in 2017.
- How does Portugal rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
- Portugal ranks 61st out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.