Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia
Australia: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.2%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
99th
of 194 countries
All-time high
9.4%
in 1943
All-time low
0.1%
in 1933
Years of data
102
1920–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Australia, 1920–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel as a share of total population in Australia stood at 0.2%.
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, 0.1%, 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
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0.1% | — |
| 1921 | 0.1% | -1.7% |
| 1922 | 0.1% | -2.1% |
| 1923 | 0.1% | +14.1% |
| 1924 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 1925 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1926 | 0.1% | +12.1% |
| 1927 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 1928 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
| 1929 | 0.1% | -13.8% |
| 1930 | 0.1% | -1.1% |
| 1931 | 0.1% | -15.1% |
| 1932 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 1933 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 1934 | 0.1% | +32.4% |
| 1935 | 0.1% | -0.7% |
| 1936 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 1937 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 1938 | 0.1% | -0.9% |
| 1939 | 0.1% | -1.0% |
| 1940 | 1.2% | +914.7% |
| 1941 | 5.6% | +382.9% |
| 1943 | 9.4% | +67.1% |
| 1944 | 9.3% | -1.0% |
| 1945 | 8.1% | -13.3% |
| 1946 | 1.4% | -82.9% |
| 1947 | 1.1% | -21.6% |
| 1948 | 0.8% | -26.9% |
| 1949 | 0.5% | -34.5% |
| 1950 | 0.5% | -10.4% |
| 1951 | 0.4% | -15.7% |
| 1952 | 0.4% | -5.4% |
| 1953 | 0.6% | +74.5% |
| 1954 | 0.6% | -7.1% |
| 1955 | 0.6% | -5.9% |
| 1956 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 1957 | 0.5% | -9.7% |
| 1958 | 0.5% | -6.1% |
| 1959 | 0.5% | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 0.5% | -4.2% |
| 1961 | 0.4% | -4.7% |
| 1962 | 0.5% | +4.6% |
| 1963 | 0.4% | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 0.5% | +6.1% |
| 1965 | 0.5% | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 0.5% | +9.3% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 0.7% | +9.2% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 0.6% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | -18.7% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -5.7% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -16.2% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | +5.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 4.1% | 0.5% | 9.4% | 9 |
| 1950s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 5.61 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.09 million people (2100)
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 0.2% in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by 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 0.1% 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 Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by 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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About this data
Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.