Military personnel as a share of total population in Norway
Norway: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.5%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
44th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 1905
All-time low
0.1%
in 1945
Years of data
114
1905–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Norway, 1905–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Norway recorded 0.5% for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Norway peaked at 1.4% in 1905 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1945.
Norway ranks 44th 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 1.4% | — |
| 1906 | 0.3% | -78.2% |
| 1907 | 0.3% | -0.5% |
| 1908 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| 1909 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 1910 | 0.2% | -29.1% |
| 1911 | 0.2% | -0.6% |
| 1912 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 1913 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 1914 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 1915 | 0.2% | -1.1% |
| 1916 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 1917 | 0.3% | +38.6% |
| 1918 | 0.3% | -1.2% |
| 1919 | 0.3% | -0.9% |
| 1920 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 1921 | 0.3% | -1.4% |
| 1922 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 1923 | 0.3% | -0.9% |
| 1924 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| 1925 | 0.2% | -14.9% |
| 1926 | 0.3% | +15.9% |
| 1927 | 0.2% | -14.7% |
| 1928 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 1929 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 1930 | 0.1% | -33.5% |
| 1931 | 0.2% | +24.3% |
| 1932 | 0.2% | -0.6% |
| 1933 | 0.2% | -0.6% |
| 1934 | 0.1% | -20.4% |
| 1935 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 1936 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 1937 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 1938 | 0.1% | -0.5% |
| 1939 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 1940 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 1945 | 0.1% | -3.6% |
| 1946 | 1.1% | +716.5% |
| 1947 | 1.0% | -10.2% |
| 1948 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1949 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 1950 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1951 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1952 | 0.9% | +2.3% |
| 1953 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 1954 | 0.9% | +2.2% |
| 1955 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 1957 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 1958 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 1961 | 0.9% | -14.2% |
| 1962 | 0.9% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | +10.6% |
| 1974 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 1986 | 0.9% | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +7.0% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +18.2% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -20.0% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -12.7% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -11.6% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -13.7% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -18.6% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -31.3% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +17.3% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +24.9% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +7.0% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | +8.1% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 5 |
| 1910s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.1% | 6 |
| 1950s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More population data for Norway
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Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in Norway?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Norway was 0.5% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1905.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1945.
- How does Norway rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Norway ranks 44th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.