Data for 2010
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2010
2010, as U.S. Department of State’s 2021 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten
What share of each country's population serves in its armed forces — active-duty personnel on the payroll, including paramilitary forces able to fight, as estimated by the U.S. State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers report. The report's final edition, published in 2021, covers 2009 to 2019.
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2010 covers 139 countries on 2 measures. Eritrea is highest, at 5.40; 4 countries share the lowest reading, 0.04. The middle country reads 0.32. Against 2009, 74 values changed (15 up, 59 down), the same countries are covered.
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population) · Data for 2010
HighestEritrea
5.40Lowest4 countries share it
0.04Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the lowest end.
01Values only
The table
Every country and every column of Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2010, as published. The file carries values only, so no position is shown. “=” marks a shared position.
Showing 25 of 139 countries · select a heading to sort
EritreaERIEastern Africa | 5.40 | 170 | highly uncertain |
 North KoreaPRKEastern Asia | 4.70 | 1,160 | — |
 IsraelISRWestern Asia | 2.30 | 180 | — |
 IraqIRQWestern Asia | 2.10 | 630 | — |
 ArmeniaARMWestern Asia | 1.60 | 45 | — |
 BruneiBRNSouth-eastern Asia | 1.60 | 6 | — |
 JordanJORWestern Asia | 1.50 | 110 | — |
 CyprusCYPWestern Asia | 1.40 | 12 | — |
 OmanOMNWestern Asia | 1.40 | 45 | — |
 SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia | 1.40 | 70 | — |
 SyriaSYRWestern Asia | 1.40 | 310 | — |
 DjiboutiDJIEastern Africa | 1.30 | 11 | — |
 South KoreaKOREastern Asia | 1.30 | 660 | — |
 LebanonLBNWestern Asia | 1.20 | 55 | — |
 LibyaLBYNorthern Africa | 1.20 | 75 | — |
 MyanmarMMRSouth-eastern Asia | 1.20 | 510 | extremely uncertain |
 TaiwanTWNEastern Asia | 1.20 | 270 | — |
 BhutanBTNSouthern Asia | 1.10 | 8 | — |
 Sri LankaLKASouthern Asia | 1.00 | 210 | highly uncertain |
 BahrainBHRWestern Asia | 0.97 | 12 | — |
 ColombiaCOLSouth America | 0.94 | 430 | — |
 Saudi ArabiaSAUWestern Asia | 0.91 | 250 | — |
 CambodiaKHMSouth-eastern Asia | 0.83 | 120 | — |
 GeorgiaGEOWestern Asia | 0.79 | 30 | — |
 KuwaitKWTWestern Asia | 0.78 | 25 | — |
 United Arab EmiratesAREWestern Asia | 0.76 | 65 | — |
 AzerbaijanAZEWestern Asia | 0.74 | 65 | — |
 UruguayURYSouth America | 0.73 | 25 | — |
 IranIRNSouthern Asia | 0.69 | 510 | — |
 MoroccoMARNorthern Africa | 0.68 | 220 | — |
 RussiaRUSEastern Europe | 0.68 | 980 | — |
 AfghanistanAFGSouthern Asia | 0.66 | 190 | — |
 CubaCUBCaribbean | 0.66 | 75 | — |
 QatarQATWestern Asia | 0.65 | 12 | — |
 VietnamVNMSouth-eastern Asia | 0.59 | 520 | — |
 AlgeriaDZANorthern Africa | 0.58 | 210 | — |
 NamibiaNAMSouthern Africa | 0.55 | 12 | — |
 MauritaniaMRTWestern Africa | 0.54 | 19 | — |
 EgyptEGYNorthern Africa | 0.53 | 440 | — |
 BelarusBLREastern Europe | 0.51 | 50 | highly uncertain |
 ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia | 0.51 | 340 | — |
 YemenYEMWestern Asia | 0.51 | 120 | highly uncertain |
 Dominican RepublicDOMCaribbean | 0.50 | 50 | — |
 BotswanaBWASouthern Africa | 0.46 | 9 | — |
 LaosLAOSouth-eastern Asia | 0.46 | 30 | — |
 FinlandFINNorthern Europe | 0.45 | 25 | — |
 TunisiaTUNNorthern Africa | 0.45 | 50 | — |
 Guinea-BissauGNBWestern Africa | 0.44 | 7 | — |
 NepalNPLSouthern Asia | 0.44 | 120 | — |
 AngolaAGOMiddle Africa | 0.43 | 100 | — |
 UkraineUKREastern Europe | 0.43 | 200 | — |
 TurkmenistanTKMCentral Asia | 0.42 | 20 | — |
 VenezuelaVENSouth America | 0.42 | 120 | highly uncertain |
 FijiFJIMelanesia | 0.41 | 4 | — |
 GabonGABMiddle Africa | 0.41 | 7 | — |
 MaltaMLTSouthern Europe | 0.41 | 2 | — |
 ChileCHLSouth America | 0.39 | 65 | — |
 MalaysiaMYSSouth-eastern Asia | 0.39 | 110 | — |
 PakistanPAKSouthern Asia | 0.39 | 700 | — |
 PeruPERSouth America | 0.39 | 110 | — |
 SurinameSURSouth America | 0.39 | 2 | — |
 BelizeBLZCentral America | 0.38 | 1 | — |
 BoliviaBOLSouth America | 0.38 | 40 | — |
 EcuadorECUSouth America | 0.38 | 60 | — |
 KyrgyzstanKGZCentral Asia | 0.37 | 20 | — |
 PanamaPANCentral America | 0.37 | 14 | — |
 SerbiaSRBSouthern Europe | 0.37 | 25 | — |
 AustriaAUTWestern Europe | 0.36 | 30 | — |
 BurundiBDIEastern Africa | 0.33 | 30 | — |
 Trinidad and TobagoTTOCaribbean | 0.32 | 4 | — |
 UzbekistanUZBCentral Asia | 0.30 | 85 | — |
 Republic of the CongoCOGMiddle Africa | 0.29 | 12 | — |
 EswatiniSWZSouthern Africa | 0.28 | 3 | — |
 KazakhstanKAZCentral Asia | 0.28 | 45 | — |
 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBIHSouthern Europe | 0.27 | 10 | — |
 RwandaRWAEastern Africa | 0.27 | 30 | — |
 MongoliaMNGEastern Asia | 0.26 | 7 | — |
 SudanSDNNorthern Africa | 0.26 | 110 | extremely uncertain |
 AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand | 0.25 | 55 | — |
 BarbadosBRBCaribbean | 0.25 | 1 | — |
 El SalvadorSLVCentral America | 0.25 | 16 | — |
 Cabo VerdeCPVWestern Africa | 0.24 | 1 | — |
 ZimbabweZWEEastern Africa | 0.24 | 30 | — |
 ChadTCDMiddle Africa | 0.23 | 25 | extremely uncertain |
 SwitzerlandCHEWestern Europe | 0.23 | 18 | — |
 Equatorial GuineaGNQMiddle Africa | 0.22 | 2 | — |
 IrelandIRLNorthern Europe | 0.22 | 10 | — |
 MexicoMEXCentral America | 0.22 | 260 | — |
 MoldovaMDAEastern Europe | 0.22 | 6 | — |
 New ZealandNZLAustralia and New Zealand | 0.22 | 10 | — |
 SwedenSWENorthern Europe | 0.22 | 20 | — |
 Costa RicaCRICentral America | 0.21 | 10 | — |
 SomaliaSOMEastern Africa | 0.21 | 25 | extremely uncertain |
 MauritiusMUSEastern Africa | 0.20 | 3 | — |
 ArgentinaARGSouth America | 0.19 | 75 | — |
 JapanJPNEastern Asia | 0.19 | 240 | — |
 NicaraguaNICCentral America | 0.19 | 11 | — |
 BrazilBRASouth America | 0.17 | 330 | — |
 TajikistanTJKCentral Asia | 0.17 | 13 | — |
 DR CongoCODMiddle Africa | 0.16 | 110 | extremely uncertain |
 EthiopiaETHEastern Africa | 0.16 | 140 | — |
 GuyanaGUYSouth America | 0.16 | 1 | highly uncertain |
 ParaguayPRYSouth America | 0.16 | 10 | — |
 Sierra LeoneSLEWestern Africa | 0.16 | 10 | — |
 TogoTGOWestern Africa | 0.16 | 11 | — |
 Central African RepublicCAFMiddle Africa | 0.15 | 7 | highly uncertain |
 ChinaCHNEastern Asia | 0.15 | 2,080 | — |
 UgandaUGAEastern Africa | 0.15 | 50 | — |
 IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia | 0.14 | 340 | — |
 HondurasHNDCentral America | 0.13 | 10 | — |
 PhilippinesPHLSouth-eastern Asia | 0.13 | 120 | — |
 CameroonCMRMiddle Africa | 0.12 | 25 | — |
 GuineaGINWestern Africa | 0.12 | 13 | — |
 South AfricaZAFSouthern Africa | 0.12 | 60 | — |
 Timor-LesteTLSSouth-eastern Asia | 0.12 | 1 | — |
 BangladeshBGDSouthern Asia | 0.11 | 170 | — |
 GambiaGMBWestern Africa | 0.11 | 2 | highly uncertain |
 GuatemalaGTMCentral America | 0.11 | 15 | — |
 IndiaINDSouthern Asia | 0.11 | 1,410 | — |
 KosovoXKXSouthern Europe | 0.11 | 2 | — |
 ZambiaZMBEastern Africa | 0.11 | 16 | — |
 JamaicaJAMCaribbean | 0.10 | 3 | — |
 LesothoLSOSouthern Africa | 0.10 | 2 | — |
 MadagascarMDGEastern Africa | 0.10 | 20 | — |
 Côte d’IvoireCIVWestern Africa | 0.09 | 18 | — |
 SenegalSENWestern Africa | 0.09 | 11 | — |
 BeninBENWestern Africa | 0.07 | 7 | — |
 Burkina FasoBFAWestern Africa | 0.07 | 11 | — |
 MaliMLIWestern Africa | 0.07 | 11 | — |
 KenyaKENEastern Africa | 0.06 | 25 | — |
 LiberiaLBRWestern Africa | 0.06 | 2 | — |
 MozambiqueMOZEastern Africa | 0.06 | 13 | highly uncertain |
 TanzaniaTZAEastern Africa | 0.06 | 25 | — |
 HaitiHTICaribbean | 0.05 | 5 | extremely uncertain |
 NigeriaNGAWestern Africa | 0.05 | 80 | — |
 GhanaGHAWestern Africa | 0.04 | 10 | — |
 MalawiMWIEastern Africa | 0.04 | 5 | — |
 NigerNERWestern Africa | 0.04 | 6 | highly uncertain |
 Papua New GuineaPNGMelanesia | 0.04 | 3 | — |
02In 2010
At either end
The 5 countries at each end of the headline, then the highest and lowest on each other measure.
Highest
- Eritrea5.40
- North Korea4.70
- Israel2.30
- Iraq2.10
- Armeniashared1.60
Lowest
- Papua New Guineashared0.04
- Nigershared0.04
- Malawishared0.04
- Ghanashared0.04
- Nigeriashared0.05
A higher value is the worse result. The middle country reads 0.32. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.
Each measure’s ends
Armed forces personnel (thousands)
Highest
China2,080Lowest5 share it
Middle country: 25
032009 → 2010
Since 2009
- +0 / −0countries joined / left
- 74values changed, of 139 in both
- 15 · 59rose · fell
- 65unchanged
04Caveats
Read before you use
One year of the 2021 release
Every year in this series comes from U.S. Department of State’s 2021 release, recalculated on one method, so a change from one year to the next is not a revision. It can differ from what was first published for 2010.
68 distinct values among 139
Values are stored exactly as published, to 2 decimals. 6 countries share 0.22. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
123 empty cells
An empty cell means the publisher gave no figure. It is never a zero.
Some readings carry a flag
U.S. Department of State marks readings it considers estimates or provisional. The flags in this file: highly uncertain, extremely uncertain.
05The files
Download and cite
- .csv
For a spreadsheet or code
139 rows · 4.9 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download armed-forces-personnel-2010-nations-inquiry.csv - ↗
The publisher’s original
U.S. Department of State’s own file, on its own site.
WMEAT-2021-Table-I-Military-Expenditures-and-Armed-Forces-Personnel-2009-2019.xlsx
What this site changed: Reshaped to one row per country, with its ISO code; no value recalculated, rescaled or rounded. In full
Licence: Public domain (U.S. Government work) · what it allows, in plain words
Cite this edition
U.S. Department of State (2010). Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2010 [data set], describing 2010. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/armed-forces-personnel/2010
0611 held
Other years
‹ The year before
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2009139 countries
The year after ›
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2011139 countries
All of them
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population): every year11 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country