Saudi Arabia vs Taiwan, China: Military personnel as a share of total population
Saudi Arabia
0.8%
in 2022
Taiwan, China
0.7%
in 2022
Saudi Arabia rank
19th
Taiwan, China rank
21st
Military personnel as a share of total population over time
- Saudi Arabia
- Taiwan, China
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.8% against 0.7% in Taiwan, China, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Taiwan, China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Taiwan, China ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 19th and Taiwan, China ranks 21st of 194 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 1 and Taiwan, China in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | Taiwan, China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.2% | 21.1% | 21.0% | Taiwan, China |
| 1950s | 0.6% | 6.1% | 5.5% | Taiwan, China |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 4.5% | 3.6% | Taiwan, China |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 3.1% | 2.1% | Taiwan, China |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 2.3% | 1.7% | Taiwan, China |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.9% | 0.9% | Taiwan, China |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 1.4% | 0.5% | Taiwan, China |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.3% | Taiwan, China |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 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, Saudi Arabia or Taiwan, China?
- Saudi Arabia, at 0.8% against 0.7% in Taiwan, China as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military personnel as a share of total population between Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, China?
- 0.1%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, China?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2022.
- How do Saudi Arabia and Taiwan, China rank globally for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th and Taiwan, China ranks 21st 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.