Military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
0.8%
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
19th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 1971
All-time low
0.1%
in 1948
Years of data
96
1927–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia, 1927–2022
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 Saudi Arabia stood at 0.8%.
That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.3% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1948.
Saudi Arabia ranks 19th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 96 years of available data.
Military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 0.2% | — |
| 1928 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1929 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1930 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1931 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1932 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1933 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1934 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1935 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1936 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1937 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1938 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1939 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1940 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1941 | 0.2% | -2.2% |
| 1942 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1943 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1944 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1945 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1946 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1947 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1948 | 0.1% | -2.2% |
| 1949 | 0.2% | +22.2% |
| 1950 | 0.2% | +17.4% |
| 1951 | 0.2% | +14.2% |
| 1952 | 0.2% | +11.7% |
| 1953 | 0.3% | +9.9% |
| 1954 | 1.0% | +269.0% |
| 1955 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
| 1956 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1957 | 0.8% | -5.4% |
| 1958 | 0.8% | -5.6% |
| 1959 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 1960 | 0.7% | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 0.8% | +13.2% |
| 1962 | 0.9% | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | -8.5% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | +10.5% |
| 1965 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | +7.3% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | +15.8% |
| 1969 | 1.1% | -3.7% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +10.6% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | -4.5% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | -4.8% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -5.0% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -5.4% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | -5.5% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | -5.5% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -5.3% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | -5.3% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | -5.2% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +72.8% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +17.6% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -12.2% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -2.2% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +10.1% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | +12.0% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 3 |
| 1930s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 16 Russian Federation 0.8% compare
- 17 Lithuania 0.8% compare
- 18 United Arab Emirates 0.8% compare
- 20 Syrian Arab Republic 0.8% compare
- 21 Taiwan, China 0.7% compare
- 22 Cambodia 0.7% compare
More population data for Saudi Arabia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1019 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5774 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.6% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.10 million people (2100)
- Population density 33.03 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.5868 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.2 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Saudi Arabia was 0.8% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1971.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1948.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 19th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.