Data for 2019
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2019
2019, 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), 2019 covers 140 countries on 2 measures. 2 countries share the highest reading, 4.60; 4 countries share the lowest reading, 0.04. The middle country reads 0.26. Against 2018, 52 values changed (8 up, 44 down), the same countries are covered.
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population) · Data for 2019
Highest2 countries share it
4.60Lowest4 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), 2019, as published. The file carries values only, so no position is shown. “=” marks a shared position.
Showing 25 of 140 countries · select a heading to sort
 EritreaERIEastern Africa | 4.60 | 160 | highly uncertain |
 North KoreaPRKEastern Asia | 4.60 | 1,190 | — |
 IsraelISRWestern Asia | 1.90 | 170 | — |
 ArmeniaARMWestern Asia | 1.60 | 45 | — |
 South SudanSSDEastern Africa | 1.60 | 180 | highly uncertain |
 BruneiBRNSouth-eastern Asia | 1.50 | 7 | — |
 CyprusCYPWestern Asia | 1.50 | 13 | — |
 SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia | 1.20 | 70 | — |
 South KoreaKOREastern Asia | 1.20 | 630 | — |
 DjiboutiDJIEastern Africa | 1.10 | 11 | — |
 JordanJORWestern Asia | 1.10 | 120 | — |
 MyanmarMMRSouth-eastern Asia | 1.10 | 490 | extremely uncertain |
 Sri LankaLKASouthern Asia | 1.10 | 230 | highly uncertain |
 BhutanBTNSouthern Asia | 1.00 | 8 | — |
 ColombiaCOLSouth America | 0.94 | 470 | — |
 TaiwanTWNEastern Asia | 0.92 | 220 | — |
 OmanOMNWestern Asia | 0.88 | 45 | — |
 LebanonLBNWestern Asia | 0.84 | 60 | — |
 SyriaSYRWestern Asia | 0.81 | 140 | highly uncertain |
 AfghanistanAFGSouthern Asia | 0.76 | 290 | — |
 Saudi ArabiaSAUWestern Asia | 0.76 | 260 | — |
 BahrainBHRWestern Asia | 0.75 | 12 | — |
 CambodiaKHMSouth-eastern Asia | 0.72 | 120 | — |
 AzerbaijanAZEWestern Asia | 0.67 | 65 | — |
 LibyaLBYNorthern Africa | 0.66 | 45 | extremely uncertain |
 United Arab EmiratesAREWestern Asia | 0.66 | 65 | — |
 CubaCUBCaribbean | 0.65 | 75 | — |
 UruguayURYSouth America | 0.64 | 20 | — |
 MoroccoMARNorthern Africa | 0.61 | 220 | — |
 RussiaRUSEastern Europe | 0.61 | 890 | — |
 UkraineUKREastern Europe | 0.61 | 270 | — |
 IranIRNSouthern Asia | 0.60 | 500 | — |
 AlgeriaDZANorthern Africa | 0.58 | 250 | — |
 KuwaitKWTWestern Asia | 0.58 | 25 | — |
 GeorgiaGEOWestern Asia | 0.57 | 20 | — |
 NamibiaNAMSouthern Africa | 0.55 | 14 | — |
 IraqIRQWestern Asia | 0.54 | 210 | highly uncertain |
 VietnamVNMSouth-eastern Asia | 0.54 | 520 | — |
 Dominican RepublicDOMCaribbean | 0.52 | 55 | — |
 ThailandTHASouth-eastern Asia | 0.51 | 360 | — |
 BelarusBLREastern Europe | 0.48 | 45 | highly uncertain |
 TurkmenistanTKMCentral Asia | 0.48 | 30 | — |
 VenezuelaVENSouth America | 0.47 | 130 | highly uncertain |
 MauritaniaMRTWestern Africa | 0.44 | 20 | — |
 EgyptEGYNorthern Africa | 0.43 | 430 | — |
 QatarQATWestern Asia | 0.42 | 12 | — |
 LaosLAOSouth-eastern Asia | 0.41 | 30 | — |
 PanamaPANCentral America | 0.40 | 17 | — |
 TunisiaTUNNorthern Africa | 0.40 | 45 | — |
 BotswanaBWASouthern Africa | 0.39 | 9 | — |
 ChileCHLSouth America | 0.39 | 75 | — |
 FijiFJIMelanesia | 0.39 | 4 | — |
 NepalNPLSouthern Asia | 0.39 | 110 | — |
 FinlandFINNorthern Europe | 0.35 | 19 | — |
 MalaysiaMYSSouth-eastern Asia | 0.35 | 110 | — |
 PakistanPAKSouthern Asia | 0.35 | 770 | — |
 BelizeBLZCentral America | 0.34 | 1 | — |
 Guinea-BissauGNBWestern Africa | 0.34 | 7 | — |
 MaltaMLTSouthern Europe | 0.34 | 2 | — |
 SerbiaSRBSouthern Europe | 0.34 | 25 | — |
 El SalvadorSLVCentral America | 0.33 | 20 | — |
 SurinameSURSouth America | 0.33 | 2 | — |
 AngolaAGOMiddle Africa | 0.32 | 100 | — |
 PeruPERSouth America | 0.32 | 100 | — |
 BoliviaBOLSouth America | 0.31 | 35 | — |
 GabonGABMiddle Africa | 0.31 | 7 | — |
 KyrgyzstanKGZCentral Asia | 0.31 | 20 | — |
 Trinidad and TobagoTTOCaribbean | 0.31 | 4 | — |
 BarbadosBRBCaribbean | 0.26 | 1 | — |
 EswatiniSWZSouthern Africa | 0.26 | 3 | — |
 SudanSDNNorthern Africa | 0.26 | 110 | extremely uncertain |
 AustriaAUTWestern Europe | 0.25 | 20 | — |
 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBIHSouthern Europe | 0.25 | 8 | — |
 BurundiBDIEastern Africa | 0.25 | 30 | — |
 UzbekistanUZBCentral Asia | 0.25 | 85 | — |
 AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand | 0.23 | 60 | — |
 EcuadorECUSouth America | 0.23 | 40 | — |
 Republic of the CongoCOGMiddle Africa | 0.23 | 12 | — |
 Cabo VerdeCPVWestern Africa | 0.22 | 1 | — |
 KazakhstanKAZCentral Asia | 0.22 | 40 | — |
 MexicoMEXCentral America | 0.22 | 280 | — |
 MongoliaMNGEastern Asia | 0.22 | 7 | — |
 RwandaRWAEastern Africa | 0.22 | 30 | — |
 MauritiusMUSEastern Africa | 0.20 | 3 | — |
 MoldovaMDAEastern Europe | 0.20 | 5 | — |
 SomaliaSOMEastern Africa | 0.20 | 30 | extremely uncertain |
 YemenYEMWestern Asia | 0.20 | 55 | extremely uncertain |
 ZimbabweZWEEastern Africa | 0.20 | 30 | — |
 Costa RicaCRICentral America | 0.19 | 10 | — |
 IrelandIRLNorthern Europe | 0.19 | 9 | — |
 JapanJPNEastern Asia | 0.19 | 240 | — |
 GuyanaGUYSouth America | 0.18 | 1 | highly uncertain |
 New ZealandNZLAustralia and New Zealand | 0.18 | 9 | — |
 SwedenSWENorthern Europe | 0.18 | 18 | — |
 SwitzerlandCHEWestern Europe | 0.18 | 16 | — |
 ArgentinaARGSouth America | 0.17 | 75 | — |
 BrazilBRASouth America | 0.17 | 350 | — |
 Central African RepublicCAFMiddle Africa | 0.17 | 8 | highly uncertain |
 NicaraguaNICCentral America | 0.17 | 11 | — |
 Equatorial GuineaGNQMiddle Africa | 0.16 | 2 | — |
 ParaguayPRYSouth America | 0.16 | 11 | — |
 TajikistanTJKCentral Asia | 0.16 | 15 | — |
 Timor-LesteTLSSouth-eastern Asia | 0.16 | 2 | — |
 HondurasHNDCentral America | 0.15 | 14 | — |
 IndonesiaIDNSouth-eastern Asia | 0.15 | 400 | — |
 ChadTCDMiddle Africa | 0.13 | 20 | extremely uncertain |
 ChinaCHNEastern Asia | 0.13 | 1,780 | — |
 JamaicaJAMCaribbean | 0.13 | 4 | — |
 KosovoXKXSouthern Europe | 0.13 | 2 | — |
 TogoTGOWestern Africa | 0.13 | 11 | — |
 DR CongoCODMiddle Africa | 0.12 | 110 | extremely uncertain |
 EthiopiaETHEastern Africa | 0.12 | 140 | — |
 PhilippinesPHLSouth-eastern Asia | 0.12 | 130 | — |
 GuatemalaGTMCentral America | 0.11 | 19 | — |
 IndiaINDSouthern Asia | 0.11 | 1,550 | — |
 Sierra LeoneSLEWestern Africa | 0.11 | 9 | — |
 South AfricaZAFSouthern Africa | 0.11 | 60 | — |
 UgandaUGAEastern Africa | 0.11 | 50 | — |
 BangladeshBGDSouthern Asia | 0.10 | 160 | — |
 CameroonCMRMiddle Africa | 0.10 | 25 | — |
 GambiaGMBWestern Africa | 0.10 | 2 | highly uncertain |
 GuineaGINWestern Africa | 0.10 | 13 | — |
 LesothoLSOSouthern Africa | 0.09 | 2 | — |
 ZambiaZMBEastern Africa | 0.09 | 16 | — |
 Côte d’IvoireCIVWestern Africa | 0.08 | 20 | highly uncertain |
 MadagascarMDGEastern Africa | 0.08 | 20 | — |
 BeninBENWestern Africa | 0.07 | 8 | — |
 HaitiHTICaribbean | 0.07 | 8 | extremely uncertain |
 MaliMLIWestern Africa | 0.07 | 13 | extremely uncertain |
 SenegalSENWestern Africa | 0.07 | 11 | — |
 NigeriaNGAWestern Africa | 0.06 | 120 | — |
 Burkina FasoBFAWestern Africa | 0.05 | 10 | — |
 GhanaGHAWestern Africa | 0.05 | 14 | — |
 KenyaKENEastern Africa | 0.05 | 25 | — |
 MalawiMWIEastern Africa | 0.05 | 9 | — |
 TanzaniaTZAEastern Africa | 0.05 | 25 | — |
 LiberiaLBRWestern Africa | 0.04 | 2 | — |
 MozambiqueMOZEastern Africa | 0.04 | 13 | highly uncertain |
 NigerNERWestern Africa | 0.04 | 8 | highly uncertain |
 Papua New GuineaPNGMelanesia | 0.04 | 4 | — |
02In 2019
At either end
The 5 countries at each end of the headline, then the highest and lowest on each other measure.
Highest
- Eritreashared4.60
- North Koreashared4.60
- Israel1.90
- Armeniashared1.60
- South Sudanshared1.60
Lowest
- Papua New Guineashared0.04
- Nigershared0.04
- Mozambiqueshared0.04
- Liberiashared0.04
- Tanzaniashared0.05
A higher value is the worse result. The middle country reads 0.26. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.
Each measure’s ends
Armed forces personnel (thousands)
Highest
China1,780Lowest4 share it
Middle country: 25
032018 → 2019
Since 2018
- +0 / −0countries joined / left
- 52values changed, of 140 in both
- 8 · 44rose · fell
- 88unchanged
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 2019.
60 distinct values among 140
Values are stored exactly as published, to 2 decimals. 5 countries share 0.22. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
118 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
140 rows · 5.0 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download armed-forces-personnel-2019-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 (2019). Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2019 [data set], describing 2019. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/armed-forces-personnel/2019
0611 held
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Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), 2018140 countries
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Armed Forces Personnel (% of population): every year11 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country