Military personnel as a share of total population in Canada

Canada: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.1726 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.1726
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
121st
of 194 countries
All-time high
6.64
in 1945
All-time low
0.0369
in 1935
Years of data
103
1920–2022

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

0246192019712022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military personnel as a share of total population in Canada is 0.1726, measured in 2022.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Canada peaked at 6.64 in 1945 and was at its lowest, 0.0369, in 1935.

That places Canada 121st 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 Canada, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Canada, 1920 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1920 0.0468 —
1921 0.0455 -2.6%
1922 0.0448 -1.5%
1923 0.0444 -1.0%
1924 0.0437 -1.5%
1925 0.043 -1.6%
1926 0.0423 -1.7%
1927 0.0415 -1.9%
1928 0.0508 +22.5%
1929 0.0399 -21.5%
1930 0.049 +22.8%
1931 0.0578 +18.0%
1932 0.0476 -17.7%
1933 0.047 -1.2%
1934 0.0466 -1.0%
1935 0.0369 -20.8%
1936 0.0548 +48.6%
1937 0.0543 -0.9%
1938 0.0538 -1.0%
1939 0.0533 -1.0%
1940 0.1845 +246.5%
1941 2.43 +1218.7%
1942 3.43 +41.1%
1943 6.27 +82.8%
1944 6.09 -2.9%
1945 6.64 +8.9%
1946 0.3742 -94.4%
1947 0.3426 -8.5%
1948 0.3038 -11.3%
1949 0.3488 +14.8%
1950 0.3276 -6.1%
1951 0.4413 +34.7%
1952 0.7036 +59.5%
1953 0.6986 -0.7%
1954 0.7045 +0.8%
1955 0.7117 +1.0%
1956 0.7195 +1.1%
1957 0.7256 +0.8%
1958 0.6951 -4.2%
1959 0.6849 -1.5%
1960 0.6756 -1.3%
1961 0.6799 +0.6%
1962 0.6662 -2.0%
1963 0.6328 -5.0%
1964 0.621 -1.9%
1965 0.6098 -1.8%
1966 0.5487 -10.0%
1967 0.5144 -6.2%
1968 0.5065 -1.5%
1969 0.4756 -6.1%
1970 0.4461 -6.2%
1971 0.3702 -17.0%
1972 0.405 +9.4%
1973 0.3645 -10.0%
1974 0.3595 -1.4%
1975 0.3371 -6.3%
1976 0.3326 -1.3%
1977 0.3288 -1.2%
1978 0.3297 +0.3%
1979 0.3264 -1.0%
1980 0.3345 +2.5%
1981 0.3263 -2.4%
1982 0.3225 -1.2%
1983 0.3193 -1.0%
1984 0.3202 +0.3%
1985 0.3212 +0.3%
1986 0.3257 +1.4%
1987 0.3251 -0.2%
1988 0.3284 +1.0%
1989 0.3225 -1.8%
1990 0.3141 -2.6%
1991 0.3068 -2.3%
1992 0.289 -5.8%
1993 0.2648 -8.4%
1994 0.2583 -2.4%
1995 0.2385 -7.7%
1996 0.2224 -6.7%
1997 0.2033 -8.6%
1998 0.1963 -3.4%
1999 0.1944 -1.0%
2000 0.1894 -2.6%
2001 0.1837 -3.0%
2002 0.1662 -9.5%
2003 0.1646 -1.0%
2004 0.1786 +8.5%
2005 0.1922 +7.6%
2006 0.1901 -1.1%
2007 0.191 +0.5%
2008 0.1918 +0.4%
2009 0.1896 -1.1%
2010 0.1934 +2.0%
2011 0.1914 -1.0%
2012 0.1894 -1.0%
2013 0.1872 -1.2%
2014 0.1854 -1.0%
2015 0.1836 -1.0%
2016 0.1819 -0.9%
2017 0.1712 -5.9%
2018 0.1689 -1.3%
2019 0.1773 +5.0%
2020 0.1755 -1.0%
2021 0.1742 -0.7%
2022 0.1726 -0.9%

Canada compared with similar countries

  • Canada's 0.1726 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.3016, 57% of the median. (64 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel as a share of total population in Canada 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
1941 +1218.7% 0.1845 2.43
1940 +246.5% 0.0533 0.1845
1946 -94.4% 6.64 0.3742
1943 +82.8% 3.43 6.27
1952 +59.5% 0.4413 0.7036
1936 +48.6% 0.0369 0.0548

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 0.0443 0.0399 0.0508 10
1930s 0.0501 0.0369 0.0578 10
1940s 2.64 0.1845 6.64 10
1950s 0.6412 0.3276 0.7256 10
1960s 0.593 0.4756 0.6799 10
1970s 0.36 0.3264 0.4461 10
1980s 0.3246 0.3193 0.3345 10
1990s 0.2488 0.1944 0.3141 10
2000s 0.1837 0.1646 0.1922 10
2010s 0.183 0.1689 0.1934 10
2020s 0.1741 0.1726 0.1755 3

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 118 Central African Republic 0.1765 compare
  2. 119 New Zealand 0.1754 compare
  3. 120 Brazil 0.1745 compare
  4. 122 Mexico 0.1679 compare
  5. 123 Congo 0.1657 compare
  6. 124 Moldova 0.1645 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Canada?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Canada was 0.1726 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 6.64 in 1945.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0369 in 1935.
How does Canada rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Canada ranks 121st out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada 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 Canada. 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/canada/

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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