Armed forces, percent of labor force - Country rankings
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Armed forces personnel, percent of the labor force, 2020:
The average for 2020 based on 16 countries was 0.77 percent. The highest value was in El Salvador: 1.6 percent and the lowest value was in Haiti: 0.02 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.Measure: percent; Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Countries | Armed forces, percent of labor force, 2020 | Global rank | Available data |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | 1.6 | 1 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Domin. Rep. | 1.48 | 2 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Panama | 1.45 | 3 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Belize | 1.16 | 4 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Bahamas | 0.9 | 5 | 1995 - 2020 |
| USA | 0.84 | 6 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Tr.&Tobago | 0.74 | 7 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Barbados | 0.71 | 8 | 1995 - 2020 |
| Guatemala | 0.67 | 9 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Mexico | 0.64 | 10 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Honduras | 0.55 | 11 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Costa Rica | 0.41 | 12 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Jamaica | 0.41 | 13 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Nicaragua | 0.4 | 14 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Canada | 0.35 | 15 | 1991 - 2020 |
| Haiti | 0.02 | 16 | 1991 - 2020 |
Definition: Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.
Selected articles from our guide:
The unholy trinity of international finance
Most commonly used measures of corruption
All articles
1.60
1.48
1.45
1.16
0.90
0.84
0.74
0.71
0.67
0.64
0.55
0.41
0.41
0.40
0.35
0.02
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
Armed forces, percent of labor force around the world Armed forces, percent of labor force in Europe Armed forces, percent of labor force in Asia Armed forces, percent of labor force in Africa Armed forces, percent of labor force in South America Armed forces, percent of labor force in Australia/Oceania Armed forces, percent of labor force in the European union Armed forces, percent of labor force in Sub Sahara Africa Armed forces, percent of labor force in MENA Armed forces, percent of labor force in South East Asia Armed forces, percent of labor force in Latin America