Military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia
Malaysia: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia, 1957–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia is 0.3%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia peaked at 0.8% in 1984 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1963.
That places Malaysia 74th 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 66 years of available data.
Military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 0.2% | — |
| 1958 | 0.2% | +7.5% |
| 1959 | 0.2% | -3.2% |
| 1960 | 0.2% | -3.1% |
| 1961 | 0.4% | +113.7% |
| 1962 | 0.4% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 0.1% | -69.9% |
| 1964 | 0.3% | +117.1% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | +39.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4% | -8.0% |
| 1967 | 0.4% | +11.5% |
| 1968 | 0.5% | +12.3% |
| 1969 | 0.5% | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 0.6% | +23.2% |
| 1971 | 0.6% | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 0.6% | +8.3% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +5.6% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +23.1% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -14.3% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.7% | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +10.4% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -5.7% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | -12.5% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -16.0% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -15.3% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 3 |
| 1960s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More population data for Malaysia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2686 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 41,032 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8625 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1472 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.3% (2100)
- Population density 134 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Malaysia was 0.3% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 1984.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1963.
- How does Malaysia rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Malaysia ranks 74th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.