Eritrea vs Syria: Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force
Eritrea
13.3%
in 2020
Syria
5.4%
in 2020
Eritrea rank
1st
Syria rank
3rd
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force over time
- Eritrea
- Syria
How they compare
Eritrea currently reports 13.3% against 5.4% in Syria, a difference of 7.9%.
That makes Eritrea's figure about 2.4 times Syria's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Syria ahead.
Eritrea ranks 1st and Syria ranks 3rd of 171 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Eritrea averaged higher in 3 and Syria in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eritrea | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.8% | 10.4% | 2.7% | Syria |
| 2000s | 16.9% | 7.8% | 9.1% | Eritrea |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 5.2% | 9.0% | Eritrea |
| 2020s | 13.3% | 5.4% | 7.8% | Eritrea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force, Eritrea or Syria?
- Eritrea, at 13.3% against 5.4% in Syria as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force between Eritrea and Syria?
- 7.9%, with Eritrea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and Syria?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2020.
- How do Eritrea and Syria rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force?
- Eritrea ranks 1st and Syria ranks 3rd of 171 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.