China vs Sweden: Military personnel as a share of total population

China
0.1%
in 2022
Sweden
0.1%
in 2022
China rank
134th
Sweden rank
131st

Military personnel as a share of total population over time

  • China
  • Sweden
0246181919202022

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 0.1% against 0.1% in China, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 146 shared years of data; in 1860 it was Sweden ahead.

China ranks 134th and Sweden ranks 131st of 194 countries.

Across the 17 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Sweden in 16.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Sweden Difference Ahead
1860s 0.3% 1.7% 1.4% Sweden
1870s 0.3% 1.3% 1.0% Sweden
1880s 0.3% 1.0% 0.8% Sweden
1890s 0.2% 0.9% 0.7% Sweden
1900s 0.2% 1.2% 1.0% Sweden
1910s 0.2% 1.5% 1.3% Sweden
1920s 0.3% 0.6% 0.3% Sweden
1930s 0.3% 0.6% 0.2% Sweden
1940s 0.7% 5.2% 4.6% Sweden
1950s 0.5% 0.4% 0.1% China
1960s 0.4% 0.9% 0.5% Sweden
1970s 0.4% 0.9% 0.5% Sweden
1980s 0.4% 0.8% 0.4% Sweden
1990s 0.2% 0.7% 0.5% Sweden
2000s 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% Sweden
2010s 0.2% 0.2% 0.1% Sweden
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel as a share of total population, China or Sweden?
Sweden, at 0.1% against 0.1% in China as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel as a share of total population between China and Sweden?
0.0%, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sweden?
146 years are reported by both, from 1860 to 2022.
How do China and Sweden rank globally for military personnel as a share of total population?
China ranks 134th and Sweden ranks 131st of 194 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Sweden: Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid, drawing on Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/china/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.