Military personnel as a share of total population in Iraq
Iraq: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.4% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.4%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
46th
of 194 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 1990
All-time low
0.2%
in 2019
Years of data
85
1932–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Iraq, 1932–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 0.4% for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 47.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Iraq peaked at 7.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2019.
Iraq ranks 46th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Iraq, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 0.3% | — |
| 1933 | 0.3% | -17.3% |
| 1934 | 0.3% | -0.7% |
| 1935 | 0.4% | +39.0% |
| 1936 | 0.5% | +34.7% |
| 1937 | 0.6% | +20.2% |
| 1938 | 0.8% | +20.8% |
| 1939 | 0.5% | -32.6% |
| 1946 | 1.1% | +106.3% |
| 1947 | 0.6% | -39.4% |
| 1948 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 1949 | 0.6% | -2.6% |
| 1950 | 0.7% | +10.0% |
| 1951 | 0.7% | +5.7% |
| 1952 | 0.8% | +7.6% |
| 1953 | 0.8% | +6.6% |
| 1954 | 0.8% | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 0.9% | +5.1% |
| 1956 | 0.9% | +5.4% |
| 1957 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 1959 | 0.9% | -13.5% |
| 1960 | 1.1% | +26.0% |
| 1961 | 1.3% | +18.0% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 1.1% | -14.8% |
| 1964 | 1.0% | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | +7.0% |
| 1972 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 1.0% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | +36.4% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | +18.5% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -29.5% |
| 1978 | 2.9% | +150.8% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | +18.7% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | -11.7% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 5.2% | +75.7% |
| 1985 | 5.1% | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 5.0% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 5.5% | +11.0% |
| 1988 | 5.9% | +7.5% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 7.7% | +34.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | -66.6% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -16.1% |
| 1993 | 2.1% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | -13.5% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -7.9% |
| 2002 | 1.5% | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -28.9% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -38.2% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +23.0% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +113.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +13.7% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -58.6% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -36.3% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -65.1% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +194.9% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 8 |
| 1940s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 1950s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 2.9% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More population data for Iraq
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.65 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 74,515 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.07 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4379 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.2% (2100)
- Population density 231.84 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.99 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in Iraq?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Iraq was 0.4% 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2019.
- How does Iraq rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Iraq ranks 46th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq 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.