Malawi vs Nigeria: Military personnel as a share of total population

Malawi
0.1%
in 2022
Nigeria
0.1%
in 2022
Malawi rank
159th
Nigeria rank
157th

Military personnel as a share of total population over time

  • Malawi
  • Nigeria
00.20.40.6196019912022

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 0.1% against 0.1% in Malawi, a difference of 0.0%.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.2 times Malawi's.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 59 shared years of data; in 1964 it was Nigeria ahead.

Malawi ranks 159th and Nigeria ranks 157th of 194 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 1 and Nigeria in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi Nigeria Difference Ahead
1960s 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% Nigeria
1970s 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% Nigeria
1980s 0.1% 0.2% 0.1% Nigeria
1990s 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% Malawi
2000s 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% Nigeria
2010s 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% Nigeria
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel as a share of total population, Malawi or Nigeria?
Nigeria, at 0.1% against 0.1% in Malawi as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel as a share of total population between Malawi and Nigeria?
0.0%, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
59 years are reported by both, from 1964 to 2022.
How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for military personnel as a share of total population?
Malawi ranks 159th and Nigeria ranks 157th 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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Malawi vs Nigeria: 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 07 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/malawi/nigeria/

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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.