Libya vs South Africa: Military personnel as a share of total population
Libya
0.1%
in 2015
South Africa
0.1%
in 2022
Libya rank
140th
South Africa rank
139th
Military personnel as a share of total population over time
- Libya
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.1% against 0.1% in Libya, a difference of 0.0%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Libya's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 63 shared years of data; in 1951 it was Libya ahead.
Libya ranks 140th and South Africa ranks 139th of 194 countries.
Libya has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Libya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% | Libya |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.8% | Libya |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.2% | 1.0% | Libya |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 0.3% | 2.0% | Libya |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 0.2% | 1.4% | Libya |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 0.1% | 1.2% | Libya |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.6% | Libya |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military personnel as a share of total population, Libya or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.1% against 0.1% in Libya as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel as a share of total population between Libya and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and South Africa?
- 63 years are reported by both, from 1951 to 2015.
- How do Libya and South Africa rank globally for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Libya ranks 140th and South Africa ranks 139th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.