Armed Forces (% of labor force) by Country

Name: Armed Forces (% of labor force) — Global Data for 168 Countries
Creator: World Bank

MilitarySource: World Bank World Development Indicators ↗Updated November 2026

As of 2020, Eritrea leads globally in armed forces (% of labor force) at 13.3%, followed by North Korea, Syria, Djibouti. At the lower end, Libya, West Bank and Gaza, Iceland rank among the lowest. The global median is 0.8% (Bosnia and Herzegovina). This indicator falls under the "Military" category and is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators. Data is available for 168 countries.

Countries

168

Highest

13.3%

Eritrea

Lowest

0.0%

Libya

Median

0.8%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

All Countries Ranked

Download every country's latest figure, free, with its year, source, licence and unit on each row: CSV

Armed Forces (% of labor force) by country — 168 countries ranked (2020). Source: World Bank World Development Indicators.
#	Country	Armed Forces (% of labor force)	Year
1	Eritrea	13.3%	2020
2	North Korea	8.6%	2020
3	Syria	5.4%	2020
4	Djibouti	5.4%	2020
5	Montenegro	4.7%	2020
6	Iraq	4.4%	2020
7	Israel	4.2%	2020
8	Lebanon	4.1%	2020
9	Laos	4.1%	2020
10	Jordan	4.0%	2020
11	Sri Lanka	3.7%	2020
12	Brunei	3.6%	2020
13	Venezuela	3.5%	2020
14	Armenia	3.2%	2020
15	Greece	3.2%	2020
16	Belarus	3.2%	2020
17	Turkmenistan	2.9%	2020
18	Algeria	2.8%	2020
19	Egypt	2.8%	2020
20	Lithuania	2.5%	2020
21	Iran	2.4%	2020
22	Bahrain	2.3%	2020
23	Oman	2.1%	2020
24	Morocco	2.1%	2020
25	Cambodia	2.0%	2020
26	South Korea	2.0%	2020
27	Mauritania	2.0%	2020
28	North Macedonia	2.0%	2020
29	Russia	2.0%	2020
30	Myanmar	1.9%	2020
31	Saudi Arabia	1.9%	2020
32	Afghanistan	1.8%	2020
33	Cyprus	1.8%	2020
34	Singapore	1.7%	2020
35	Colombia	1.7%	2020
36	Namibia	1.7%	2020
37	El Salvador	1.6%	2020
38	Türkiye	1.6%	2020
39	Azerbaijan	1.6%	2020
40	Cuba	1.5%	2020
41	Romania	1.5%	2020
42	Dominican Republic	1.5%	2020
43	Ukraine	1.4%	2020
44	Nepal	1.4%	2020
45	Georgia	1.4%	2020
46	Italy	1.4%	2020
47	Sudan	1.3%	2020
48	Panama	1.3%	2020
49	Uruguay	1.3%	2020
50	Belize	1.3%	2020
51	Chile	1.3%	2020
52	Mongolia	1.3%	2020
53	Pakistan	1.3%	2020
54	Bolivia	1.2%	2020
55	Bulgaria	1.2%	2020
56	Tunisia	1.2%	2020
57	South Sudan	1.2%	2020
58	Croatia	1.2%	2020
59	Thailand	1.1%	2020
60	Fiji	1.1%	2020
61	Qatar	1.1%	2020
62	Poland	1.0%	2020
63	Guyana	1.0%	2020
64	Kuwait	1.0%	2020
65	United Arab Emirates	1.0%	2020
66	Serbia	1.0%	2020
67	Portugal	1.0%	2020
68	France	1.0%	2020
69	Estonia	1.0%	2020
70	Gabon	1.0%	2020
71	Hungary	1.0%	2020
72	Vietnam	0.9%	2020
73	Peru	0.9%	2020
74	Botswana	0.9%	2020
75	Bahamas	0.9%	2020
76	Latvia	0.9%	2020
77	Paraguay	0.9%	2020
78	Zimbabwe	0.9%	2020
79	Spain	0.9%	2020
80	Angola	0.9%	2020
81	Norway	0.9%	2020
82	Suriname	0.8%	2020
83	Chad	0.8%	2020
84	United States	0.8%	2020
85	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.8%	2020
86	Kyrgyzstan	0.8%	2020
87	Malaysia	0.8%	2020
88	Finland	0.8%	2020
89	Trinidad and Tobago	0.8%	2020
90	Brazil	0.8%	2020
91	Tajikistan	0.7%	2020
92	Kazakhstan	0.7%	2020
93	Malta	0.7%	2020
94	Rwanda	0.7%	2020
95	Barbados	0.7%	2020
96	Slovenia	0.7%	2020
97	Slovakia	0.7%	2020
98	Albania	0.6%	2020
99	Mexico	0.6%	2020
100	Guatemala	0.6%	2020
101	Burundi	0.6%	2020
102	Yemen	0.6%	2020
103	India	0.6%	2020
104	The Gambia	0.6%	2020
105	Honduras	0.6%	2020
106	Republic of the Congo	0.6%	2020
107	Mali	0.5%	2020
108	Ecuador	0.5%	2020
109	Central African Republic	0.5%	2020
110	Guinea-Bissau	0.5%	2020
111	Argentina	0.5%	2020
112	Uzbekistan	0.5%	2020
113	Mauritius	0.5%	2020
114	Cabo Verde	0.5%	2020
115	Czechia	0.5%	2020
116	Austria	0.5%	2020
117	Denmark	0.5%	2020
118	Indonesia	0.5%	2020
119	Somalia	0.5%	2020
120	Belgium	0.5%	2020
121	United Kingdom	0.4%	2020
122	Australia	0.4%	2020
123	Germany	0.4%	2020
124	Netherlands	0.4%	2020
125	Costa Rica	0.4%	2020
126	Jamaica	0.4%	2020
127	Moldova	0.4%	2020
128	Nicaragua	0.4%	2020
129	DR Congo	0.4%	2020
130	Switzerland	0.4%	2020
131	South Africa	0.4%	2020
132	Japan	0.4%	2020
133	Togo	0.4%	2020
134	Senegal	0.4%	2020
135	Philippines	0.4%	2020
136	Ireland	0.4%	2020
137	Timor-Leste	0.4%	2020
138	Sierra Leone	0.4%	2020
139	Canada	0.4%	2020
140	New Zealand	0.3%	2020
141	Cameroon	0.3%	2020
142	China	0.3%	2020
143	Bangladesh	0.3%	2020
144	Guinea	0.3%	2020
145	Luxembourg	0.3%	2020
146	Ethiopia	0.3%	2020
147	Sweden	0.3%	2020
148	Côte d'Ivoire	0.2%	2020
149	Lesotho	0.2%	2020
150	Zambia	0.2%	2020
151	Uganda	0.2%	2020
152	Nigeria	0.2%	2020
153	Benin	0.2%	2020
154	Malawi	0.2%	2020
155	Equatorial Guinea	0.2%	2020
156	Madagascar	0.2%	2020
157	Ghana	0.1%	2020
158	Papua New Guinea	0.1%	2020
159	Burkina Faso	0.1%	2020
160	Kenya	0.1%	2020
161	Niger	0.1%	2020
162	Tanzania	0.1%	2020
163	Liberia	0.1%	2020
164	Mozambique	0.1%	2020
165	Haiti	0.0%	2020
166	Iceland	0.0%	2020
167	West Bank and Gaza	0.0%	2020
168	Libya	0.0%	2020

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has the highest armed forces (% of labor force) in 2020?

Eritrea ranks #1 with armed forces (% of labor force) of 13.3% as of 2020, based on data from the World Bank World Development Indicators.

Which country has the lowest armed forces (% of labor force)?

Libya ranks last (#168) with 0.0% as of 2020.

What is the global median for armed forces (% of labor force)?

The median value is 0.8% (Bosnia and Herzegovina, ranked #85 out of 168 countries).

How many countries report data for armed forces (% of labor force)?

168 countries have available data for armed forces (% of labor force). Data is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators and updated regularly.

What category does armed forces (% of labor force) belong to?

Armed Forces (% of labor force) is classified under the "Military" category. Statistics of the World tracks 337 indicators across 27 categories.

Related Indicators in Military

Military Spending (% of GDP)Military Expenditure (USD)Armed Forces Personnel Military Spending (% of govt expenditure)Intentional Homicides (per 100,000)