Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia

Australia: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.229 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.229
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
99th
of 194 countries
All-time high
9.4
in 1943
All-time low
0.0905
in 1933
Years of data
102
1920–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia, 1920–2022

0246810192019712022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2022, military personnel as a share of total population in Australia stood at 0.229.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Australia peaked at 9.4 in 1943 and was at its lowest, 0.0905, in 1933.

That places Australia 99th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia, 1920 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1920 0.1119 —
1921 0.11 -1.7%
1922 0.1077 -2.1%
1923 0.123 +14.1%
1924 0.1205 -2.0%
1925 0.1179 -2.2%
1926 0.1321 +12.1%
1927 0.1294 -2.0%
1928 0.1269 -1.9%
1929 0.1095 -13.8%
1930 0.1083 -1.1%
1931 0.0919 -15.1%
1932 0.0912 -0.8%
1933 0.0905 -0.8%
1934 0.1198 +32.4%
1935 0.1189 -0.7%
1936 0.118 -0.8%
1937 0.117 -0.8%
1938 0.116 -0.9%
1939 0.1148 -1.0%
1940 1.16 +914.7%
1941 5.63 +382.9%
1943 9.4 +67.1%
1944 9.3 -1.0%
1945 8.06 -13.3%
1946 1.38 -82.9%
1947 1.08 -21.6%
1948 0.7913 -26.9%
1949 0.5185 -34.5%
1950 0.4646 -10.4%
1951 0.3918 -15.7%
1952 0.3705 -5.4%
1953 0.6466 +74.5%
1954 0.6005 -7.1%
1955 0.5652 -5.9%
1956 0.5517 -2.4%
1957 0.4979 -9.7%
1958 0.4674 -6.1%
1959 0.4773 +2.1%
1960 0.4574 -4.2%
1961 0.4361 -4.7%
1962 0.4562 +4.6%
1963 0.4475 -1.9%
1964 0.4746 +6.1%
1965 0.4654 -1.9%
1966 0.5087 +9.3%
1967 0.6102 +20.0%
1968 0.6662 +9.2%
1969 0.6687 +0.4%
1970 0.6876 +2.8%
1971 0.6712 -2.4%
1972 0.6464 -3.7%
1973 0.5257 -18.7%
1974 0.4955 -5.7%
1975 0.5039 +1.7%
1976 0.506 +0.4%
1977 0.4932 -2.5%
1978 0.4875 -1.2%
1979 0.4822 -1.1%
1980 0.4832 +0.2%
1981 0.4884 +1.1%
1982 0.481 -1.5%
1983 0.4747 -1.3%
1984 0.4564 -3.8%
1985 0.4434 -2.9%
1986 0.4433 -0.0%
1987 0.4304 -2.9%
1988 0.4298 -0.1%
1989 0.4163 -3.1%
1990 0.3985 -4.3%
1991 0.3934 -1.3%
1992 0.3888 -1.2%
1993 0.3849 -1.0%
1994 0.364 -5.4%
1995 0.3597 -1.2%
1996 0.355 -1.3%
1997 0.3507 -1.2%
1998 0.351 +0.1%
1999 0.294 -16.2%
2000 0.27 -8.2%
2001 0.2627 -2.7%
2002 0.2587 -1.5%
2003 0.2706 +4.6%
2004 0.2621 -3.1%
2005 0.2583 -1.5%
2006 0.254 -1.7%
2007 0.2448 -3.6%
2008 0.2356 -3.7%
2009 0.2496 +5.9%
2010 0.2455 -1.6%
2011 0.2506 +2.1%
2012 0.2473 -1.3%
2013 0.2462 -0.4%
2014 0.2386 -3.1%
2015 0.2395 +0.4%
2016 0.2363 -1.4%
2017 0.2345 -0.7%
2018 0.2309 -1.5%
2019 0.2276 -1.4%
2020 0.2214 -2.7%
2021 0.2312 +4.4%
2022 0.229 -0.9%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 0.229 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.3016, 76% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 0.229 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.1865, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1940 +914.7% 0.1148 1.16
1941 +382.9% 1.16 5.63
1946 -82.9% 8.06 1.38
1953 +74.5% 0.3705 0.6466
1943 +67.1% 5.63 9.4
1934 +32.4% 0.0905 0.1198

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 0.1189 0.1077 0.1321 10
1930s 0.1087 0.0905 0.1198 10
1940s 4.15 0.5185 9.4 9
1950s 0.5034 0.3705 0.6466 10
1960s 0.5191 0.4361 0.6687 10
1970s 0.5499 0.4822 0.6876 10
1980s 0.4547 0.4163 0.4884 10
1990s 0.364 0.294 0.3985 10
2000s 0.2566 0.2356 0.2706 10
2010s 0.2397 0.2276 0.2506 10
2020s 0.2272 0.2214 0.2312 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 96 Peru 0.242 compare
  2. 97 Rwanda 0.2417 compare
  3. 98 Ecuador 0.23 compare
  4. 100 Switzerland 0.2275 compare
  5. 101 Burundi 0.2252 compare
  6. 102 United Kingdom 0.22 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Australia?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia was 0.229 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 9.4 in 1943.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0905 in 1933.
How does Australia rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Australia ranks 99th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/australia/

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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