U.S. Department of State · Armed Forces Personnel (% of population)
Armed forces personnel by country
What share of the population serves in the armed forces?
Of the 140 countries compared in 2019, 4 countries shared the lowest reading, 0.04%, and 2 countries shared the highest reading, 4.60%. In the middle country the figure was 0.26%. Among the 139 countries measured in every edition since 2009, the middle one moved from 0.31% to 0.26%.
Share
Part ofPeace & Security
Armed forces personnel · 2019
Context statistic
4 countries share the lowest value, 0.04% — no single country is named first.
012019 · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 140 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
Lowest in 2019 · shared
4 countries share the lowest reading, 0.04%
No single country is named first: picking one from a shared value would be a choice the data does not make.
Highest in 2019
North Korea4.60%
Eritrea4.60%
Israel1.90%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Lowest on each continent
- Africa
3 countries share 0.04%
- Americas
Haiti0.07% - Asia
Bangladesh0.10% - Europe
Kosovo0.13% - Oceania
Papua New Guinea0.04%4 of 21 measured
- Every region
02Every measured country
Armed forces personnel on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a lower value — the better end.
- 0.64–4.60%
- 0.35–0.61%
- 0.20–0.34%
- 0.11–0.19%
- 0.04–0.10%
- No reading in 2019
- Africa
0.13%
the middle country, of 51 measured · 55 members
3 share 0.04%
Eritrea4.60%Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Europe
0.25%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 49 members
Kosovo0.13%2 share 0.61%
Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Americas
0.29%
the middle country, of 26 measured · 48 members
Haiti0.07%
Colombia0.94%Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Asia
0.58%
the middle country, of 46 measured · 52 members
Bangladesh0.10%North Korea4.60%Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Oceania
4 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea0.04%
Fiji0.39%Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
19 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Western Africa
0.08%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
2 share 0.04%
Mauritania0.44%Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
0.16%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Mozambique0.04%Eritrea4.60%Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
0.17%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Cameroon0.10%
Angola0.32%Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.
- Central America
0.21%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Guatemala0.11%
Panama0.40%Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Central Asia
0.25%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Tajikistan0.16%
Turkmenistan0.48%Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Southern Africa
0.26%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Lesotho0.09%
Namibia0.55%Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
0.29%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Haiti0.07%
Cuba0.65%Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
0.32%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Paraguay0.16%Colombia0.94%Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Southern Asia
0.50%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Bangladesh0.10%
Sri Lanka1.10%Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
- Northern Africa
0.51%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Sudan0.26%
Libya0.66%Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
0.51%
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Philippines0.12%
Brunei1.50%Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Eastern Asia
0.57%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
China0.13%North Korea4.60%Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
0.76%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
Yemen0.20%Israel1.90%Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand0.18%
Australia0.23%Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Eastern Europe
4 of 10 measured — too few for a middle: Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine.
Moldova0.20%2 share 0.61%
Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Melanesia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea0.04%Fiji0.39%Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern Europe
3 of 13 measured — too few for a middle: Finland, Ireland, Sweden.
Sweden0.18%
Finland0.35%Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
4 of 17 measured — too few for a middle: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Malta, Serbia.
Kosovo0.13%2 share 0.34%
Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Europe
2 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Austria, Switzerland.
Switzerland0.18%
Austria0.25%Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
03The whole field at once
The spread
140 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.26%; a quarter are above 0.56%, and a quarter below 0.15%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 140 ever measured
Every country
In order, lowest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. The NATO members, the United States among them, are not in this table: the report copies their figures from NATO, whose terms do not allow them to be republished here. Figures the report prints as highly or extremely uncertain are marked. A large share can reflect conscription or a long war as much as an outsized military.
Showing 25 of 140 countries
Values for 2019. The change column compares 2019 with 2018 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052009–2019 · 11 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2009 to 2019, all from the report's final edition; the series will not be updated. The number of personnel, in thousands, is stored beside the share.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 139 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 140 | 0.26% | 0.15% – 0.56% | 0.26% |
| 2018 | 140 | 0.26% | 0.14% – 0.56% | 0.26% |
| 2017 | 140 | 0.27% | 0.14% – 0.57% | 0.27% |
| 2016 | 140 | 0.28% | 0.14% – 0.58% | 0.27% |
| 2015 | 140 | 0.29% | 0.15% – 0.60% | 0.28% |
| 2014 | 140 | 0.30% | 0.15% – 0.59% | 0.29% |
| 2013 | 140 | 0.31% | 0.15% – 0.59% | 0.30% |
| 2012 | 140 | 0.32% | 0.15% – 0.57% | 0.32% |
| 2011 | 139 | 0.32% | 0.16% – 0.59% | 0.32% |
| 2010 | 139 | 0.32% | 0.16% – 0.59% | 0.32% |
| 2009 | 139 | 0.31% | 0.16% – 0.58% | 0.31% |
062018 → 2019
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- Eritrea4.70% → 4.60%−0.10
Singapore1.30% → 1.20%−0.10
Jordan1.20% → 1.10%−0.10
South Sudan1.70% → 1.60%−0.10- Libya0.73% → 0.66%−0.07
140 countries were measured in both 2018 and 2019.
07Across every edition
Armed forces personnel in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
5.80%
Active-duty armed forces personnel (% of population)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 10 times by 3 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.03%
Active-duty armed forces personnel (% of population)
U.S. Department of State · 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Biggest improvement between editions
−1.07
2.00% → 0.93%
Biggest decline between editions
+0.20
1.50% → 1.70%
Most improved since first measured
−1.56
2.10% → 0.54%
At the top most often
4 of 11
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About armed forces personnel
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.
What the number is: Active-duty armed forces personnel (% of population).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Peace & Security, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where armed forces personnel is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Global Militarisation IndexKeyBICC · 120 countries in commonρ 0.67
- Smartphone OwnershipWorld Bank Group · 108 countries in commonρ 0.62
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 85 countries in commonρ 0.62
Moves against
Where armed forces personnel is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Working Poverty RateILO · 106 countries in commonρ −0.56
- Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 89 countries in commonρ −0.56
- Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 125 countries in commonρ −0.54
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 345 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
More from U.S. Department of State
11Questions
Armed forces personnel: questions and answers
Which country has the lowest armed forces personnel?
4 countries share the lowest reading, 0.04%, among the 140 compared in 2019, so no single country is named.
Which country has the highest armed forces personnel?
2 countries share the highest reading, 4.60%, among the 140 compared in 2019, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Armed Forces Personnel (% of population) cover?
140 in 2019. The number measured varies from 139 to 140 between editions.
What is the world average armed forces personnel?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 140 compared in 2019, the figure was 0.26%.
Is this U.S. Department of State’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. U.S. Department of State publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Armed Forces Personnel (% of population) published?
This site holds 11 reference years, 2009–2019, all recalculated in U.S. Department of State’s 2021 report on one method — not 11 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From U.S. Department of State, under Public domain (U.S. Government work). From Table I of the State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 2021, a U.S. Government work in the public domain, stored as the report prints it. The State Department has stopped publishing the report. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Armed Forces Personnel (% of population) — U.S. Department of State
From Table I of the State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 2021, a U.S. Government work in the public domain, stored as the report prints it. The State Department has stopped publishing the report.
Newest edition
Report year 2019Data year 2019
Cite the source as: U.S. Department of State. World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers 2021, Table I. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, December 2021.
Licence: Public domain (U.S. Government work), checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: U.S. Department of State publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Armed forces personnel by country: Armed Forces Personnel (% of population), data from U.S. Department of State. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/armed-forces-personnel