Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland

Switzerland: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.2275 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.2275
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
100th
of 194 countries
All-time high
15.38
in 1940
All-time low
0
in 1816
Years of data
207
1816–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland, 1816–2022

051015181619192022

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 0.2275 for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022.

The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland peaked at 15.38 in 1940 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1816.

Switzerland ranks 100th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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 Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland, 1816 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1816 0 —
1817 0 —
1818 0 —
1819 0 —
1820 0 —
1821 0 —
1822 0 —
1823 0 —
1824 0 —
1825 0 —
1826 0 —
1827 0 —
1828 0 —
1829 0 —
1830 0 —
1831 0 —
1832 0 —
1833 0 —
1834 0 —
1835 0 —
1836 0 —
1837 0 —
1838 0 —
1839 0 —
1840 0 —
1841 0 —
1842 0 —
1843 0 —
1844 0 —
1845 0 —
1846 0 —
1847 0 —
1848 0 —
1849 0 —
1850 0 —
1851 0 —
1852 0 —
1853 0 —
1854 0 —
1855 0 —
1856 0 —
1857 1.21 —
1858 0 -100.0%
1859 0 —
1860 0 —
1861 0 —
1862 0 —
1863 0 —
1864 0 —
1865 0 —
1866 0 —
1867 0 —
1868 0 —
1869 0 —
1870 0 —
1871 0 —
1872 0 —
1873 0 —
1874 0 —
1875 0 —
1876 0 —
1877 0 —
1878 0 —
1879 0 —
1880 0 —
1881 0 —
1882 0 —
1883 0 —
1884 0 —
1885 0 —
1886 0 —
1887 0 —
1888 0 —
1889 0 —
1890 0 —
1891 0 —
1892 0 —
1893 0 —
1894 0 —
1895 0 —
1896 0 —
1897 0 —
1898 0 —
1899 0 —
1900 0 —
1901 0 —
1902 0 —
1903 0 —
1904 0 —
1905 0 —
1906 0 —
1907 0 —
1908 0 —
1909 0 —
1910 0 —
1911 0 —
1912 0 —
1913 0 —
1914 0 —
1915 6.44 —
1916 6.44 +0.0%
1917 6.43 -0.1%
1918 6.44 +0.2%
1919 0 -100.0%
1920 0 —
1921 0 —
1922 0 —
1923 0 —
1924 0 —
1925 0 —
1926 0 —
1927 0 —
1928 0 —
1929 0 —
1930 0 —
1931 0 —
1932 0 —
1933 0 —
1934 0 —
1935 0 —
1936 0 —
1937 0 —
1938 0 —
1939 0 —
1940 15.38 —
1941 12.34 -19.8%
1942 12.25 -0.7%
1943 12.14 -0.9%
1944 12.03 -0.9%
1945 11.9 -1.1%
1946 0 -100.0%
1947 0 —
1948 0 —
1949 0 —
1950 0 —
1951 0 —
1952 0 —
1953 0 —
1954 0 —
1955 0 —
1956 0 —
1957 0 —
1958 0 —
1959 0 —
1960 0 —
1961 0.5337 —
1962 0.5203 -2.5%
1963 0.3512 -32.5%
1964 0.3455 -1.6%
1965 0.3415 -1.1%
1966 0.4224 +23.7%
1967 0.4172 -1.2%
1968 0.412 -1.3%
1969 0.4074 -1.1%
1970 0.3989 -2.1%
1971 0.3953 -0.9%
1972 0.3915 -1.0%
1973 0.3887 -0.7%
1974 0.388 -0.2%
1975 0.3903 +0.6%
1976 0.3939 +0.9%
1977 0.3003 -23.8%
1978 0.3 -0.1%
1979 0.3621 +20.7%
1980 0.364 +0.5%
1981 0.362 -0.6%
1982 0.3599 -0.6%
1983 0.4362 +21.2%
1984 0.3881 -11.0%
1985 0.3555 -8.4%
1986 0.3229 -9.2%
1987 0.3056 -5.4%
1988 0.3489 +14.2%
1989 0.2558 -26.7%
1990 0.3278 +28.2%
1991 0.3235 -1.3%
1992 0.4509 +39.4%
1993 0.5045 +11.9%
1994 0.5576 +10.5%
1995 0.5539 -0.7%
1996 0.5515 -0.4%
1997 0.5501 -0.2%
1998 0.5343 -2.9%
1999 0.531 -0.6%
2000 0.3791 -28.6%
2001 0.3736 -1.5%
2002 0.3866 +3.5%
2003 0.3841 -0.6%
2004 0.2178 -43.3%
2005 0.054 -75.2%
2006 0.0535 -1.0%
2007 0.0529 -1.1%
2008 0.3005 +468.4%
2009 0.297 -1.2%
2010 0.2809 -5.4%
2011 0.3285 +16.9%
2012 0.3126 -4.8%
2013 0.2828 -9.5%
2014 0.2795 -1.2%
2015 0.2524 -9.7%
2016 0.2499 -1.0%
2017 0.2484 -0.6%
2018 0.2466 -0.7%
2019 0.2448 -0.7%
2020 0.243 -0.7%
2021 0.2297 -5.5%
2022 0.2275 -1.0%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 0.2275 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.3016, 75% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 0.2275 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2903, 78% of the median. (52 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2008 +468.4% 0.0529 0.3005
1858 -100.0% 1.21 0
1919 -100.0% 6.44 0
1946 -100.0% 11.9 0
2005 -75.2% 0.2178 0.054
2004 -43.3% 0.3841 0.2178

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1810s 0 0 0 4
1820s 0 0 0 10
1830s 0 0 0 10
1840s 0 0 0 10
1850s 0.1214 0 1.21 10
1860s 0 0 0 10
1870s 0 0 0 10
1880s 0 0 0 10
1890s 0 0 0 10
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 2.57 0 6.44 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 7.6 0 15.38 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 0.3751 0 0.5337 10
1970s 0.3709 0.3 0.3989 10
1980s 0.3499 0.2558 0.4362 10
1990s 0.4885 0.3235 0.5576 10
2000s 0.2499 0.0529 0.3866 10
2010s 0.2726 0.2448 0.3285 10
2020s 0.2334 0.2275 0.243 3

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 97 Rwanda 0.2417 compare
  2. 98 Ecuador 0.23 compare
  3. 99 Australia 0.229 compare
  4. 101 Burundi 0.2252 compare
  5. 102 United Kingdom 0.22 compare
  6. 103 Germany 0.2176 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland was 0.2275 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 15.38 in 1940.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1816.
How does Switzerland rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Switzerland ranks 100th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from 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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Military personnel as a share of total population in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed