Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World

World: Armed forces personnel, total, per capita was 0.0035 units per person in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.0035 units per person
Change on year
down 1.9%
Rank
3rd
of 3 groups
All-time high
0.0053 units per person
in 1995
All-time low
0.0035 units per person
in 2020
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World, 1985–2020

00.0020.0040.0061985200220201985: 0.005 units per person1989: 0.005 units per person1990: 0.005 units per person1991: 0.004 units per person1992: 0.004 units per person1993: 0.004 units per person1994: 0.004 units per person1995: 0.005 units per person1996: 0.005 units per person1997: 0.005 units per person1998: 0.005 units per person1999: 0.005 units per person2000: 0.005 units per person2001: 0.005 units per person2002: 0.004 units per person2003: 0.004 units per person2004: 0.004 units per person2005: 0.004 units per person2006: 0.004 units per person2007: 0.004 units per person2008: 0.004 units per person2009: 0.004 units per person2010: 0.004 units per person2011: 0.004 units per person2012: 0.004 units per person2013: 0.004 units per person2014: 0.004 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: 0.003 units per person

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

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World stood at 0.0035 units per person. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World peaked at 0.0053 units per person in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.0035 units per person, in 2020.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World, 1985 to 2020.
Year units per person Change
1985 0.0046 units per person
1989 0.0047 units per person +1.9%
1990 0.0045 units per person -3.3%
1991 0.0042 units per person -6.6%
1992 0.0045 units per person +6.2%
1993 0.0043 units per person -4.8%
1994 0.0041 units per person -3.8%
1995 0.0053 units per person +28.2%
1996 0.0052 units per person -1.4%
1997 0.0051 units per person -2.5%
1998 0.005 units per person -1.2%
1999 0.0049 units per person -2.5%
2000 0.0048 units per person -2.1%
2001 0.0045 units per person -5.2%
2002 0.0045 units per person -1.0%
2003 0.0044 units per person -1.8%
2004 0.0042 units per person -5.1%
2005 0.0043 units per person +4.1%
2006 0.0041 units per person -6.5%
2007 0.004 units per person -0.4%
2008 0.004 units per person -0.4%
2009 0.004 units per person +0.3%
2010 0.004 units per person -0.5%
2011 0.004 units per person -1.6%
2012 0.0039 units per person -0.8%
2013 0.0037 units per person -4.5%
2014 0.0037 units per person -0.8%
2015 0.0037 units per person -0.7%
2016 0.0037 units per person -0.8%
2017 0.0036 units per person -1.6%
2018 0.0036 units per person -0.2%
2019 0.0036 units per person -0.9%
2020 0.0035 units per person -1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0046 units per person 0.0046 units per person 0.0047 units per person 2
1990s 0.0047 units per person 0.0041 units per person 0.0053 units per person 10
2000s 0.0043 units per person 0.004 units per person 0.0048 units per person 10
2010s 0.0037 units per person 0.0036 units per person 0.004 units per person 10
2020s 0.0035 units per person 0.0035 units per person 0.0035 units per person 1

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Eritrea 0.0614 units per person compare
  2. 2 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 0.0562 units per person compare
  3. 3 Israel 0.0193 units per person compare
  4. 4 Montenegro 0.0192 units per person compare
  5. 5 Brunei Darussalam 0.0179 units per person compare
  6. 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.0176 units per person compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World?
Armed forces personnel, total, per capita in World was 0.0035 units per person in 2020, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 0.0053 units per person in 1995.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total, per capita recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0035 units per person in 2020.
How does World rank for armed forces personnel, total, per capita?
World ranks 3rd out of 3 groups with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total, per capita rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-total-per-capita/world/

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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.