Armed forces as a share of the population in the United States in 2022 — 0.394%. Ranked 54 in the world out of 189. Since 1816, the indicator has risen by 0.198 pp.
1816–2022 · % of population
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: United States
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.394 | −0.012 pp |
| 2021 | 0.406 | +0.009 pp |
| 2020 | 0.397 | −0.002 pp |
| 2019 | 0.398 | +0 pp |
| 2018 | 0.398 | −0.003 pp |
| 2017 | 0.401 | −0.027 pp |
| 2016 | 0.429 | −0.019 pp |
| 2015 | 0.448 | −0.022 pp |
| 2014 | 0.47 | −0.012 pp |
| 2013 | 0.482 | −0.012 pp |
| 2012 | 0.494 | −0.002 pp |
| 2011 | 0.497 | −0.009 pp |
| 2010 | 0.506 | +0.008 pp |
| 2009 | 0.498 | +0.009 pp |
| 2008 | 0.488 | −0.007 pp |
| 2007 | 0.496 | −0.018 pp |
| 2006 | 0.514 | +0.019 pp |
| 2005 | 0.494 | +0.004 pp |
| 2004 | 0.491 | +0.003 pp |
| 2003 | 0.487 | +0 pp |
| 2002 | 0.487 | +0.007 pp |
| 2001 | 0.48 | −0.011 pp |
| 2000 | 0.491 | −0.049 pp |
| 1999 | 0.539 | −0.012 pp |
| 1998 | 0.551 | −0.02 pp |
| 1997 | 0.571 | −0.021 pp |
| 1996 | 0.592 | −0.025 pp |
| 1995 | 0.617 | −0.04 pp |
| 1994 | 0.656 | −0.045 pp |
| 1993 | 0.701 | −0.051 pp |
| 1992 | 0.752 | −0.083 pp |
| 1991 | 0.835 | −0.037 pp |
| 1990 | 0.872 | −0.033 pp |
| 1989 | 0.906 | −0.013 pp |
| 1988 | 0.918 | −0.021 pp |
| 1987 | 0.939 | −0.004 pp |
| 1986 | 0.943 | +0.002 pp |
| 1985 | 0.941 | +0.001 pp |
| 1984 | 0.94 | +0.001 pp |
| 1983 | 0.939 | +0.006 pp |
| 1982 | 0.934 | +0.02 pp |
| 1981 | 0.914 | +0.013 pp |
| 1980 | 0.9 | −0.003 pp |
| 1979 | 0.903 | −0.022 pp |
| 1978 | 0.925 | −0.01 pp |
| 1977 | 0.935 | −0.016 pp |
| 1976 | 0.952 | −0.02 pp |
| 1975 | 0.971 | −0.032 pp |
| 1974 | 1.003 | −0.038 pp |
| 1973 | 1.041 | −0.066 pp |
| 1972 | 1.107 | −0.203 pp |
| 1971 | 1.31 | −0.187 pp |
| 1970 | 1.497 | −0.21 pp |
| 1969 | 1.707 | −0.062 pp |
| 1968 | 1.769 | +0.068 pp |
| 1967 | 1.701 | +0.129 pp |
| 1966 | 1.572 | +0.203 pp |
| 1965 | 1.369 | −0.031 pp |
| 1964 | 1.4 | −0.026 pp |
| 1963 | 1.427 | −0.078 pp |
| 1962 | 1.505 | +0.249 pp |
| 1961 | 1.256 | −0.02 pp |
| 1960 | 1.276 | −0.033 pp |
| 1959 | 1.309 | −0.07 pp |
| 1958 | 1.379 | −0.247 pp |
| 1957 | 1.626 | −0.036 pp |
| 1956 | 1.661 | −0.107 pp |
| 1955 | 1.769 | −0.257 pp |
| 1954 | 2.025 | −0.194 pp |
| 1953 | 2.219 | −0.088 pp |
| 1952 | 2.308 | +0.21 pp |
| 1951 | 2.098 | +1.139 pp |
| 1950 | 0.959 | −0.12 pp |
| 1949 | 1.078 | +0.096 pp |
| 1948 | 0.982 | −0.116 pp |
| 1947 | 1.098 | −1.045 pp |
| 1946 | 2.143 | −6.521 pp |
| 1945 | 8.664 | +0.389 pp |
| 1944 | 8.275 | +1.66 pp |
| 1943 | 6.615 | +3.753 pp |
| 1942 | 2.861 | +1.511 pp |
| 1941 | 1.35 | +1.003 pp |
| 1940 | 0.347 | +0.092 pp |
| 1939 | 0.255 | +0.006 pp |
| 1938 | 0.249 | +0.007 pp |
| 1937 | 0.242 | +0.015 pp |
| 1936 | 0.227 | +0.029 pp |
| 1935 | 0.198 | +0.003 pp |
| 1934 | 0.195 | +0.001 pp |
| 1933 | 0.194 | −0.002 pp |
| 1932 | 0.196 | −0.008 pp |
| 1931 | 0.204 | −0.004 pp |
| 1930 | 0.208 | −0.002 pp |
| 1929 | 0.209 | +0.001 pp |
| 1928 | 0.208 | −0.001 pp |
| 1927 | 0.209 | −0.001 pp |
| 1926 | 0.21 | −0.007 pp |
| 1925 | 0.218 | −0.011 pp |
| 1924 | 0.229 | +0.008 pp |
| 1923 | 0.221 | −0.025 pp |
| 1922 | 0.245 | −0.111 pp |
| 1921 | 0.357 | +0.034 pp |
| 1920 | 0.322 | −0.8 pp |
| 1919 | 1.122 | −1.685 pp |
| 1918 | 2.807 | +2.183 pp |
| 1917 | 0.624 | +0.448 pp |
| 1916 | 0.176 | +0.003 pp |
| 1915 | 0.173 | +0.006 pp |
| 1914 | 0.167 | +0.008 pp |
| 1913 | 0.159 | −0.001 pp |
| 1912 | 0.16 | +0.006 pp |
| 1911 | 0.154 | +0.004 pp |
| 1910 | 0.15 | −0.007 pp |
| 1909 | 0.157 | +0.012 pp |
| 1908 | 0.145 | +0.021 pp |
| 1907 | 0.124 | −0.007 pp |
| 1906 | 0.131 | +0.002 pp |
| 1905 | 0.129 | −0.005 pp |
| 1904 | 0.134 | +0.002 pp |
| 1903 | 0.131 | −0.009 pp |
| 1902 | 0.14 | −0.004 pp |
| 1901 | 0.144 | −0.021 pp |
| 1900 | 0.166 | +0.032 pp |
| 1899 | 0.134 | −0.187 pp |
| 1898 | 0.321 | +0.26 pp |
| 1897 | 0.061 | +0.002 pp |
| 1896 | 0.059 | −0.001 pp |
| 1895 | 0.06 | −0.001 pp |
| 1894 | 0.062 | +0.003 pp |
| 1893 | 0.058 | −0.001 pp |
| 1892 | 0.059 | +0 pp |
| 1891 | 0.059 | −0.003 pp |
| 1890 | 0.062 | −0.001 pp |
| 1889 | 0.063 | −0.001 pp |
| 1888 | 0.064 | −0.001 pp |
| 1887 | 0.066 | −0.001 pp |
| 1886 | 0.067 | −0.002 pp |
| 1885 | 0.069 | −0.002 pp |
| 1884 | 0.07 | +0.002 pp |
| 1883 | 0.068 | −0.004 pp |
| 1882 | 0.072 | −0.002 pp |
| 1881 | 0.074 | −0.002 pp |
| 1880 | 0.076 | −0.002 pp |
| 1879 | 0.077 | +0.002 pp |
| 1878 | 0.075 | +0.003 pp |
| 1877 | 0.072 | −0.017 pp |
| 1876 | 0.089 | +0.005 pp |
| 1875 | 0.084 | −0.016 pp |
| 1874 | 0.1 | −0 pp |
| 1873 | 0.1 | −0 pp |
| 1872 | 0.1 | −0.003 pp |
| 1871 | 0.103 | −0.023 pp |
| 1870 | 0.125 | −0.008 pp |
| 1869 | 0.133 | −0.04 pp |
| 1868 | 0.173 | −0.028 pp |
| 1867 | 0.201 | −0.01 pp |
| 1866 | 0.211 | −2.767 pp |
| 1865 | 2.978 | +0.017 pp |
| 1864 | 2.96 | +0.139 pp |
| 1863 | 2.821 | +0.794 pp |
| 1862 | 2.028 | +1.357 pp |
| 1861 | 0.671 | +0.582 pp |
| 1860 | 0.089 | −0.006 pp |
| 1859 | 0.095 | −0.003 pp |
| 1858 | 0.097 | +0.004 pp |
| 1857 | 0.093 | +0.001 pp |
| 1856 | 0.092 | −0.003 pp |
| 1855 | 0.095 | +0.016 pp |
| 1854 | 0.079 | −0.003 pp |
| 1853 | 0.082 | −0.003 pp |
| 1852 | 0.084 | −0.003 pp |
| 1851 | 0.087 | −0.003 pp |
| 1850 | 0.09 | −0.011 pp |
| 1849 | 0.102 | −0.171 pp |
| 1848 | 0.273 | +0.002 pp |
| 1847 | 0.271 | +0.083 pp |
| 1846 | 0.188 | +0.084 pp |
| 1845 | 0.104 | −0.003 pp |
| 1844 | 0.107 | −0.003 pp |
| 1843 | 0.111 | −0.015 pp |
| 1842 | 0.125 | +0.007 pp |
| 1841 | 0.118 | −0.01 pp |
| 1840 | 0.129 | +0.015 pp |
| 1839 | 0.114 | +0.003 pp |
| 1838 | 0.111 | −0.028 pp |
| 1837 | 0.139 | +0.029 pp |
| 1836 | 0.11 | +0.017 pp |
| 1835 | 0.093 | +0.004 pp |
| 1834 | 0.089 | −0.003 pp |
| 1833 | 0.092 | +0.004 pp |
| 1832 | 0.087 | +0.005 pp |
| 1831 | 0.083 | −0.01 pp |
| 1830 | 0.093 | −0.002 pp |
| 1829 | 0.096 | +0.006 pp |
| 1828 | 0.09 | −0.011 pp |
| 1827 | 0.101 | −0.003 pp |
| 1826 | 0.104 | +0.006 pp |
| 1825 | 0.098 | −0.003 pp |
| 1824 | 0.101 | −0.003 pp |
| 1823 | 0.104 | +0.006 pp |
| 1822 | 0.097 | −0.013 pp |
| 1821 | 0.111 | −0.045 pp |
| 1820 | 0.156 | +0.017 pp |
| 1819 | 0.139 | −0.015 pp |
| 1818 | 0.153 | −0.015 pp |
| 1817 | 0.169 | −0.028 pp |
| 1816 | 0.196 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
United States
0.394
Canada
0.173
Military personnel on active duty as a percent of the entire population of the country. The indicator answers the question of how large the armed forces are relative to the size of the country — an army that is large in absolute numbers in a large country can come out smaller by this measure than the small army of a small state.
Important: A close indicator — the share of the labor force — answers a different question: what part of those able to work is occupied in the army instead of the economy. In countries with young populations the two diverge noticeably.
Source: Military Expenditure Database (SIPRI), license SIPRI terms of use.
A long historical series on the personnel of armies — since 1816, that is, over two centuries.
Defense Armed forces as a share of the labor forceWhat part of a country’s labor force serves in the army instead of working in the economy.
Defense Armed forces personnelThe number of active-duty military personnel and paramilitary forces.
Defense Military expenditure (% of GDP)The share of GDP a country spends on defense.
Defense Military expenditure in dollarsThe absolute volume of defense spending in current US dollars.
Defense Military expenditure share of the budgetWhat part of government spending goes to defense.