Japan vs South Africa: Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force
Japan
0.4%
in 2020
South Africa
0.4%
in 2020
Japan rank
135th
South Africa rank
134th
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.4% against 0.4% in Japan, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.
Japan ranks 135th and South Africa ranks 134th of 171 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.9% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Japan |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | Japan |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.0% | South Africa |
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, Japan or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.4% against 0.4% in Japan as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force between Japan and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force?
- Japan ranks 135th and South Africa ranks 134th 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.