Military personnel as a share of total population by country

Countries reporting
174
Highest
8.86
Eritrea
Lowest
0
Seychelles
Median
0.2758
Years covered
207
1816–2022
Data points
15,765

What the numbers show

Military personnel as a share of total population is currently reported for 174 countries. The highest value is 8.86 in Eritrea; the lowest is 0 in Seychelles.

The median across all reporting countries is 0.2758, and the mean is 0.4266.

Over the past decade 53 countries rose and 114 fell. The largest increase was in Ukraine (up 487.0%), and the largest decrease in Luxembourg (down 100.0%).

Military personnel as a share of total population: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Eritrea 8.86 2022 up 168.9% rising
2 North Korea 4.86 2022 up 1.2% rising
3 Israel 1.87 2022 down 19.3% falling
4 Ukraine 1.68 2022 up 487.0% volatile
5 Brunei 1.54 2022 down 9.5% flat
6 Armenia 1.49 2022 down 9.6% rising
7 Greece 1.27 2022 down 3.4% volatile
8 Sri Lanka 1.12 2022 up 46.3% volatile
9 South Korea 1.07 2022 down 19.8% falling
10 Lebanon 1.04 2022 down 17.7% volatile
11 Tonga 0.9524 2022 volatile
12 Oman 0.9091 2022 down 29.9% flat
13 Singapore 0.9027 2022 down 34.4% rising
14 Cyprus 0.9016 2022 down 15.2% falling
15 Jordan 0.8973 2022 down 37.7% falling
16 Russia 0.8174 2022 up 22.4% volatile
17 Lithuania 0.8165 2022 up 124.8% volatile
18 United Arab Emirates 0.8104 2022 up 46.3% volatile
19 Saudi Arabia 0.7988 2022 down 3.4% rising
20 Syria 0.7524 2022 down 44.2% volatile
21 Taiwan 0.7216 2022 down 42.0% volatile
22 Cambodia 0.7208 2022 down 13.6% volatile
23 Djibouti 0.7036 2022 down 39.5% rising
24 Sao Tome and Principe 0.6944 1999 down 21.5% volatile
25 Iran 0.6814 2022 down 0.4% rising
26 Myanmar 0.6622 2022 down 13.9% rising
27 Azerbaijan 0.6217 2022 down 13.6% falling
28 Uruguay 0.6193 2022 down 15.9% rising
29 Qatar 0.5878 2022 up 0.5% falling
30 Georgia 0.5534 2022 up 14.8% rising
31 Bulgaria 0.542 2022 up 27.3% volatile
32 Morocco 0.5251 2022 down 12.9% rising
33 Belarus 0.5233 2022 down 32.6% falling
34 Bahrain 0.5219 2022 down 14.0% falling
35 Estonia 0.5185 2022 up 11.6% volatile
36 Turkmenistan 0.5118 2022 up 20.3% rising
37 Thailand 0.5032 2022 up 9.8% rising
38 Bahamas 0.5025 2022 up 86.9% volatile
39 Dominican Republic 0.4986 2022 up 105.0% rising
40 Belize 0.4963 2022 up 60.8% falling
41 Colombia 0.4948 2022 down 16.6% volatile
42 Vietnam 0.4835 2022 down 8.9% volatile
43 South Sudan 0.4809 2022 down 62.8% falling
44 Norway 0.4581 2022 down 4.7% volatile
45 Cuba 0.443 2022 up 1.9% volatile
46 Iraq 0.4379 2022 down 47.0% volatile
47 Venezuela 0.436 2022 up 13.6% volatile
48 Fiji 0.4353 2022 down 4.8% rising
49 Croatia 0.4351 2022 down 1.4% volatile
50 North Macedonia 0.4348 2022 up 14.5% falling
51 Serbia 0.4123 2022 up 35.8% volatile
52 Turkey 0.4078 2022 down 41.0% volatile
53 Ethiopia 0.4012 2022 up 166.7% volatile
54 El Salvador 0.3981 2022 up 56.7% volatile
55 United States 0.3945 2022 down 20.2% volatile
56 Kuwait 0.3922 2022 down 20.3% volatile
57 Egypt 0.3898 2022 down 28.3% rising
58 Laos 0.3836 2022 down 12.1% volatile
59 Malta 0.3788 2022 down 18.9% volatile
60 Romania 0.3756 2022 up 10.4% volatile
61 Latvia 0.3721 2022 up 53.3% volatile
62 Botswana 0.3689 2022 down 17.9% volatile
63 Guyana 0.365 2022 up 190.1% volatile
64 Barbados 0.3546 2022 up 0.4% volatile
65 Chile 0.3529 2022 up 4.5% rising
66 Namibia 0.346 2022 down 13.1% falling
67 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.3432 2022 up 19.6% volatile
68 Finland 0.3412 2022 down 16.1% volatile
69 Trinidad and Tobago 0.3342 2022 up 11.7% rising
70 Hungary 0.3304 2022 up 43.3% volatile
71 Slovakia 0.3289 2022 up 11.9% falling
72 Mauritania 0.3281 2022 down 22.1% volatile
73 Nepal 0.3264 2022 down 6.6% falling
74 Malaysia 0.3257 2022 down 12.6% falling
75 Montenegro 0.3252 2022 down 32.7% falling
76 Suriname 0.321 2022 down 14.1% falling
77 France 0.3063 2022 down 18.1% volatile
78 Eswatini 0.3061 1999 down 43.1% volatile
79 Algeria 0.3056 2022 down 9.5% falling
80 Angola 0.3003 2022 down 41.6% falling
81 Tunisia 0.2971 2022 down 10.3% volatile
82 Poland 0.297 2022 up 13.5% volatile
83 Mongolia 0.2953 2022 down 17.4% volatile
84 Slovenia 0.2837 2022 down 26.7% falling
85 Albania 0.2829 2022 down 36.1% volatile
86 Bhutan 0.2825 2000 down 7.1% falling
87 Bolivia 0.2815 2022 down 35.8% volatile
88 Italy 0.27 2022 down 11.1% volatile
89 Pakistan 0.2675 2022 down 25.3% rising
90 Spain 0.2593 2022 down 15.2% falling
91 Portugal 0.2592 2022 down 36.1% volatile
92 Denmark 0.2541 2022 down 25.1% volatile
93 Austria 0.2537 2022 down 17.4% falling
94 Czechia 0.253 2022 up 7.9% volatile
95 Afghanistan 0.2464 2022 down 57.0% volatile
96 Peru 0.242 2022 down 36.9% rising
97 Rwanda 0.2417 2022 down 16.1% volatile
98 Ecuador 0.23 2022 down 38.6% rising
99 Australia 0.229 2022 down 7.4% volatile
100 Switzerland 0.2275 2022 down 27.2% volatile
101 Burundi 0.2252 2022 up 10.9% volatile
102 United Kingdom 0.22 2022 down 20.6% volatile
103 Germany 0.2176 2022 down 28.2% volatile
104 Jamaica 0.2113 2022 up 95.1% rising
105 Sudan 0.2106 2022 down 28.1% rising
106 Paraguay 0.2071 2022 up 25.9% volatile
107 Gabon 0.2057 2022 down 32.8% volatile
108 Japan 0.1976 2022 up 1.4% volatile
109 Belgium 0.1976 2022 down 35.7% falling
110 Kazakhstan 0.1947 2022 down 35.4% flat
111 Cape Verde 0.1923 2022 down 5.0% volatile
112 Guinea-Bissau 0.1899 2022 down 21.0% volatile
113 Netherlands 0.1899 2022 down 14.2% volatile
114 Zimbabwe 0.1805 2022 down 14.6% volatile
115 Comoros 0.1795 1992 down 26.6% rising
116 Chad 0.1788 2022 down 11.0% volatile
117 Nicaragua 0.1783 2022 down 11.0% volatile
118 Central African Republic 0.1765 2022 up 299.4% flat
119 New Zealand 0.1754 2022 down 21.8% volatile
120 Brazil 0.1745 2022 up 9.0% falling
121 Canada 0.1726 2022 down 8.9% volatile
122 Mexico 0.1679 2022 down 27.5% volatile
123 Congo 0.1657 2022 down 28.1% volatile
124 Moldova 0.1645 2022 up 15.6% falling
125 Argentina 0.1586 2022 down 10.8% falling
126 Kyrgyzstan 0.1581 2022 down 21.3% falling
127 Ireland 0.1566 2022 down 28.4% falling
128 Gambia 0.1517 2022 up 171.8% volatile
129 East Timor 0.1461 2022 up 62.7% rising
130 Honduras 0.1433 2022 down 5.2% falling
131 Sweden 0.143 2022 down 32.0% volatile
132 Togo 0.143 2022 up 5.6% rising
133 Indonesia 0.142 2022 up 16.1% falling
134 China 0.142 2022 down 14.4% flat
135 Uzbekistan 0.1374 2022 down 41.5% falling
136 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.1309 2022 down 45.9% falling
137 Niger 0.1304 2022 up 347.4% volatile
138 Philippines 0.1272 2022 down 1.6% falling
139 South Africa 0.1186 2022 up 0.2% volatile
140 Libya 0.1123 2015 down 91.7% volatile
141 Sierra Leone 0.1087 2022 down 40.9% rising
142 Yemen 0.1046 2022 down 62.7% volatile
143 India 0.1024 2022 down 4.4% falling
144 Guatemala 0.1009 2022 up 1.4% volatile
145 Bangladesh 0.0962 2022 down 5.2% falling
146 Uganda 0.0951 2022 down 23.2% volatile
147 Mali 0.091 2022 up 93.1% falling
148 Cameroon 0.0905 2022 up 40.2% falling
149 Cote d'Ivoire 0.0888 2022 down 7.2% falling
150 Tajikistan 0.0884 2022 down 21.3% flat
151 Lesotho 0.0875 2022 down 10.2% rising
152 Benin 0.0872 2022 up 75.3% falling
153 Senegal 0.0793 2022 down 22.2% falling
154 Somalia 0.0786 2022 up 300.9% volatile
155 Zambia 0.0744 2022 down 30.2% falling
156 Guinea 0.0711 2022 down 32.1% volatile
157 Nigeria 0.0641 2022 up 35.2% volatile
158 Equatorial Guinea 0.0554 2022 down 59.2% volatile
159 Malawi 0.0535 2022 up 70.1% falling
160 Ghana 0.0483 2022 down 23.5% volatile
161 Madagascar 0.046 2022 down 26.8% volatile
162 Kenya 0.0442 2022 down 20.4% falling
163 Tanzania 0.0417 2022 down 26.2% volatile
164 Papua New Guinea 0.0392 2022 down 6.3% falling
165 Liberia 0.0372 2022 down 22.0% volatile
166 Mozambique 0.0337 2022 down 22.8% volatile
167 Burkina Faso 0.0311 2022 down 53.5% falling
168 Haiti 0.0087 2022 volatile
169 Costa Rica 0 2022 volatile
169 Grenada 0 2022 volatile
169 Luxembourg 0 2022 down 100.0% volatile
169 Mauritius 0 2022 volatile
169 Panama 0 2022 volatile
169 Seychelles 0 2022 volatile

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Military personnel as a share of total population by country. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/">Military personnel as a share of total population by country</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed