Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0145 units per person in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka, 1985–2020
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka is 0.0145 units per person, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.0148 units per person in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0013 units per person, in 1990.
Sri Lanka ranks 9th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0014 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0.0014 units per person | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 0.0013 units per person | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 0.0067 units per person | +396.3% |
| 1992 | 0.0066 units per person | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.0065 units per person | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 0.0064 units per person | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0134 units per person | +110.6% |
| 1996 | 0.0126 units per person | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 0.0125 units per person | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 0.0121 units per person | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 0.0115 units per person | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 0.0106 units per person | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0107 units per person | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.0124 units per person | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 0.0121 units per person | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0119 units per person | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0099 units per person | -16.9% |
| 2006 | 0.0105 units per person | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 0.0104 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 0.0103 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0107 units per person | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0107 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.0106 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0105 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0108 units per person | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0107 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.0126 units per person | +17.8% |
| 2016 | 0.0144 units per person | +13.8% |
| 2017 | 0.0148 units per person | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.0146 units per person | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0145 units per person | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.0145 units per person | -0.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.0145 units per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0045 units per person, 3.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.0145 units per person is above the median for South Asia, which is 0.0039 units per person, 3.7× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +396.3% | 0.0013 units per person | 0.0067 units per person |
| 1995 | +110.6% | 0.0064 units per person | 0.0134 units per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0014 units per person | 0.0014 units per person | 0.0014 units per person | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.0089 units per person | 0.0013 units per person | 0.0134 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0109 units per person | 0.0099 units per person | 0.0124 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0124 units per person | 0.0105 units per person | 0.0148 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0145 units per person | 0.0145 units per person | 0.0145 units per person | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More public sector data for Sri Lanka
- 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 11.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4107 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 80 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka?
- Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in Sri Lanka was 0.0145 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0148 units per person in 2017.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0013 units per person in 1990.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
- Sri Lanka ranks 9th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.