Russian Federation vs Saudi Arabia: Military personnel as a share of total population

Russian Federation
0.8%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia
0.8%
in 2022
Russian Federation rank
16th
Saudi Arabia rank
19th

Military personnel as a share of total population over time

  • Russian Federation
  • Saudi Arabia
02468181619192022

How they compare

Russian Federation currently reports 0.8% against 0.8% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 96 shared years of data; in 1927 it was Russian Federation ahead.

Russian Federation ranks 16th and Saudi Arabia ranks 19th of 194 countries.

Across the 11 decades both report, Russian Federation averaged higher in 8 and Saudi Arabia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Russian Federation Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
1920s 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% Russian Federation
1930s 0.7% 0.2% 0.5% Russian Federation
1940s 2.7% 0.1% 2.5% Russian Federation
1950s 2.6% 0.6% 2.0% Russian Federation
1960s 1.5% 0.9% 0.6% Russian Federation
1970s 1.6% 1.1% 0.5% Russian Federation
1980s 1.4% 0.7% 0.7% Russian Federation
1990s 1.0% 1.0% 0.1% Russian Federation
2000s 0.7% 0.9% 0.2% Saudi Arabia
2010s 0.6% 0.8% 0.2% Saudi Arabia
2020s 0.7% 0.8% 0.1% Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military personnel as a share of total population, Russian Federation or Saudi Arabia?
Russian Federation, at 0.8% against 0.8% in Saudi Arabia as of 2022.
What is the difference in military personnel as a share of total population between Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia?
0.0%, with Russian Federation ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia?
96 years are reported by both, from 1927 to 2022.
How do Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia rank globally for military personnel as a share of total population?
Russian Federation ranks 16th and Saudi Arabia ranks 19th 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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Russian Federation vs Saudi Arabia: 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 12 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/russian-federation/saudi-arabia/

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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.