Military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland
Ireland: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
0.2%
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
127th
of 194 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 1922
All-time low
0.2%
in 2022
Years of data
101
1922–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland, 1922–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 0.2% for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 101 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 28.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland peaked at 0.7% in 1922 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2022.
That places Ireland 127th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 101 years of available data.
Military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 0.7% | — |
| 1923 | 0.7% | -8.8% |
| 1924 | 0.7% | +0.3% |
| 1925 | 0.6% | -9.4% |
| 1926 | 0.4% | -33.0% |
| 1927 | 0.4% | +8.9% |
| 1928 | 0.3% | -22.7% |
| 1929 | 0.2% | -29.8% |
| 1930 | 0.2% | -14.0% |
| 1931 | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| 1932 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 1933 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 1934 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 1935 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.2% | +0.3% |
| 1937 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 1938 | 0.2% | +0.3% |
| 1939 | 0.3% | +33.8% |
| 1940 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 1941 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 1942 | 0.3% | +13.6% |
| 1943 | 0.3% | +11.5% |
| 1944 | 0.3% | +0.3% |
| 1945 | 0.4% | +9.6% |
| 1946 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| 1947 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| 1948 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| 1949 | 0.4% | +18.3% |
| 1950 | 0.4% | +0.4% |
| 1951 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 0.4% | +0.1% |
| 1954 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 1955 | 0.4% | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 0.4% | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 0.5% | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 0.5% | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 0.5% | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 0.2% | -53.6% |
| 1962 | 0.2% | +16.2% |
| 1963 | 0.3% | +13.5% |
| 1964 | 0.3% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 0.3% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 0.3% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 0.3% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 0.3% | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 0.3% | +11.4% |
| 1972 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 0.3% | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 0.4% | +8.2% |
| 1975 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 0.4% | +25.3% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -8.4% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | +34.4% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.6% | +9.3% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -14.9% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -28.3% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | +7.4% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -7.0% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +30.3% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -18.2% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -14.9% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -19.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -12.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | -12.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 8 |
| 1930s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More population data for Ireland
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.68 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 217,052 people (2100)
- Population density 76.73 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Ireland 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1922.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Ireland ranks 127th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.