Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of

Iran, Islamic Republic of: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
25th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 1988
All-time low
0.0%
in 1917
Years of data
168
1855–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1855–2022

00.250.50.7511.2185519382022

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 Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 0.7%.

That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 1.3% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1917.

That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 25th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 168 years of available data.

Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1855 to 2022.
Year % Change
1855 0.3%
1856 0.3% -0.8%
1857 0.3% -0.8%
1858 0.3% -0.8%
1859 0.3% -0.8%
1860 0.3% +4.7%
1861 0.3% -0.8%
1862 0.3% -0.8%
1863 0.3% -0.8%
1864 0.3% -0.8%
1865 0.3% -0.8%
1866 0.3% +4.5%
1867 0.3% -0.8%
1868 0.3% -0.8%
1869 0.3% -0.8%
1870 0.3% -0.8%
1871 0.3% -0.8%
1872 0.3% -0.8%
1873 0.3% -0.8%
1874 0.3% -0.8%
1875 0.3% -0.8%
1876 0.4% +48.8%
1877 0.4% -0.8%
1878 0.4% -0.8%
1879 0.4% -0.8%
1880 0.4% -0.7%
1881 0.4% -0.8%
1882 0.4% -1.6%
1883 0.4% -1.6%
1884 0.4% -1.6%
1885 0.3% -18.0%
1886 0.3% -1.6%
1887 0.3% -1.6%
1888 0.3% -1.6%
1889 0.3% -1.6%
1890 0.3% -1.6%
1891 0.3% -1.6%
1892 0.3% -1.0%
1893 0.3% -1.0%
1894 0.3% -1.0%
1895 0.3% -1.0%
1896 0.3% -1.0%
1897 0.3% -1.0%
1898 0.3% -1.0%
1899 0.3% -1.0%
1900 0.3% -1.0%
1901 0.3% -0.6%
1902 0.3% -0.7%
1903 0.2% -0.8%
1904 0.2% -0.7%
1905 0.3% +19.2%
1906 0.3% -0.8%
1907 0.3% -0.7%
1908 0.3% -0.7%
1909 0.3% -0.8%
1910 0.3% -0.7%
1911 0.3% -0.8%
1912 0.3% -0.7%
1913 0.3% -0.7%
1914 0.5% +95.2%
1915 0.5% -0.6%
1916 0.5% -0.8%
1917 0.0% -91.6%
1918 0.4% +813.4%
1919 0.4% -7.2%
1920 0.4% -7.6%
1921 0.3% -8.3%
1922 0.3% -11.2%
1923 0.3% -9.8%
1924 0.2% -7.3%
1925 0.3% +41.8%
1926 0.3% -0.7%
1927 0.3% -1.5%
1928 0.3% -1.5%
1929 0.3% -1.5%
1930 0.3% -1.5%
1931 0.3% -1.3%
1932 0.3% -1.3%
1933 0.7% +139.5%
1934 0.7% -1.3%
1935 0.7% -3.3%
1936 0.7% -2.3%
1937 0.7% -3.4%
1938 0.6% -3.4%
1939 0.2% -64.9%
1940 0.8% +270.3%
1941 0.9% +2.0%
1942 0.4% -48.2%
1943 0.5% +21.5%
1944 0.6% +6.1%
1945 0.6% +3.3%
1946 0.7% +10.8%
1947 0.6% -11.0%
1948 0.6% -0.2%
1949 0.7% +21.4%
1950 0.7% -0.9%
1951 0.7% +5.4%
1952 0.8% +4.8%
1953 0.8% -2.3%
1954 0.7% -2.3%
1955 0.7% -5.3%
1956 0.7% -4.9%
1957 0.7% +4.9%
1958 0.7% +3.6%
1959 0.8% +3.9%
1960 1.0% +29.3%
1961 0.8% -13.8%
1962 0.9% +4.8%
1963 0.9% -3.0%
1964 0.8% -3.0%
1965 0.8% -0.6%
1966 0.8% -0.7%
1967 0.8% -2.6%
1968 0.8% -2.6%
1969 0.8% +4.3%
1970 0.9% +6.0%
1971 0.9% +1.3%
1972 0.9% +1.2%
1973 0.9% +4.7%
1974 1.0% +5.9%
1975 1.2% +20.9%
1976 1.2% +6.2%
1977 1.0% -19.8%
1978 1.0% -3.8%
1979 1.1% +14.1%
1980 0.8% -29.3%
1981 0.6% -18.0%
1982 0.6% -11.2%
1983 0.5% -3.8%
1984 0.7% +34.3%
1985 0.7% -1.4%
1986 0.7% -3.3%
1987 0.7% -1.0%
1988 1.3% +82.4%
1989 1.1% -9.9%
1990 0.8% -28.9%
1991 0.8% +3.1%
1992 0.9% +10.9%
1993 0.9% -2.3%
1994 0.9% -2.2%
1995 0.8% -12.2%
1996 0.9% +13.9%
1997 0.9% +7.2%
1998 0.7% -26.2%
1999 0.7% -1.6%
2000 0.8% +10.0%
2001 0.8% +3.7%
2002 0.8% -2.3%
2003 0.8% +2.6%
2004 0.7% -12.1%
2005 0.6% -13.5%
2006 0.8% +28.3%
2007 0.8% -1.2%
2008 0.8% -1.2%
2009 0.7% -5.2%
2010 0.7% -1.2%
2011 0.7% -1.3%
2012 0.7% -1.3%
2013 0.7% -1.3%
2014 0.7% -1.2%
2015 0.7% -1.2%
2016 0.7% -1.1%
2017 0.6% -5.6%
2018 0.6% -1.3%
2019 0.6% -1.1%
2020 0.7% +15.7%
2021 0.7% -0.8%
2022 0.7% -1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1850s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 5
1860s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 10
1870s 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 10
1880s 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 10
1890s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 10
1900s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 10
1910s 0.4% 0.0% 0.5% 10
1920s 0.3% 0.2% 0.4% 10
1930s 0.5% 0.2% 0.7% 10
1940s 0.6% 0.4% 0.9% 10
1950s 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 10
1960s 0.8% 0.8% 1.0% 10
1970s 1.0% 0.9% 1.2% 10
1980s 0.8% 0.5% 1.3% 10
1990s 0.8% 0.7% 0.9% 10
2000s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 10
2010s 0.7% 0.6% 0.7% 10
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 3

Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of

  1. 22 Cambodia 0.7% compare
  2. 23 Djibouti 0.7% compare
  3. 24 Sao Tome and Principe 0.7% compare
  4. 26 Myanmar 0.7% compare
  5. 27 Azerbaijan 0.6% compare
  6. 28 Uruguay 0.6% compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Iran, Islamic Republic of

All data for Iran, Islamic Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 0.7% 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1988.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1917.
How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 25th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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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Military personnel as a share of total population in Iran, Islamic Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.