Norway vs United States of America: Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force
Norway
0.9%
in 2020
United States of America
0.8%
in 2020
Norway rank
84th
United States of America rank
87th
Armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force over time
- Norway
- United States of America
How they compare
Norway currently reports 0.9% against 0.8% in United States of America, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Norway ahead.
Norway ranks 84th and United States of America ranks 87th of 171 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 3 and United States of America in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.3% | Norway |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.1% | Norway |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.0% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.0% | Norway |
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, Norway or United States of America?
- Norway, at 0.9% against 0.8% in United States of America as of 2020.
- What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force between Norway and United States of America?
- 0.1%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and United States of America?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
- How do Norway and United States of America rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of the total labor force?
- Norway ranks 84th and United States of America ranks 87th 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.