Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Armed forces personnel of total labor force was 0.4466 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.4466
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
124th
of 171 countries
All-time high
1.07
in 1990
All-time low
0.4356
in 2019
Years of data
31
1990–2020

Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990–2020

00.250.50.7511990200520201990: 1.11991: 11992: 11993: 0.9561994: 0.9081995: 0.8231996: 0.7771997: 0.7621998: 0.761999: 0.7522000: 0.7262001: 0.7212002: 0.712003: 0.7122004: 0.6812005: 0.7122006: 0.5842007: 0.5132008: 0.5072009: 0.5622010: 0.5452011: 0.5152012: 0.5212013: 0.4872014: 0.4692015: 0.4582016: 0.4472017: 0.4392018: 0.4362019: 0.4362020: 0.447

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 0.4466.

The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.07 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.4356, in 2019.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 124th out of 171 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.

Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1990 1.07
1991 1.05 -1.8%
1992 1.03 -2.1%
1993 0.9561 -6.8%
1994 0.9076 -5.1%
1995 0.8228 -9.3%
1996 0.7767 -5.6%
1997 0.7615 -2.0%
1998 0.7598 -0.2%
1999 0.7521 -1.0%
2000 0.7257 -3.5%
2001 0.7213 -0.6%
2002 0.7098 -1.6%
2003 0.7119 +0.3%
2004 0.6814 -4.3%
2005 0.712 +4.5%
2006 0.5843 -17.9%
2007 0.513 -12.2%
2008 0.5066 -1.3%
2009 0.5623 +11.0%
2010 0.5455 -3.0%
2011 0.5153 -5.5%
2012 0.5208 +1.1%
2013 0.4868 -6.5%
2014 0.469 -3.7%
2015 0.4579 -2.4%
2016 0.4473 -2.3%
2017 0.4385 -2.0%
2018 0.4364 -0.5%
2019 0.4356 -0.2%
2020 0.4466 +2.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.8877 0.7521 1.07 10
2000s 0.6428 0.5066 0.7257 10
2010s 0.4753 0.4356 0.5455 10
2020s 0.4466 0.4466 0.4466 1

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 121 Indonesia 0.4921 compare
  2. 122 Somalia 0.4709 compare
  3. 123 Belgium 0.4683 compare
  4. 125 Australia 0.4417 compare
  5. 126 Germany 0.4219 compare
  6. 127 Netherlands 0.4186 compare

See the full ranking of 171 places →

More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.4466 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest armed forces personnel of total labor force recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.07 in 1990.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel of total labor force recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4356 in 2019.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for armed forces personnel of total labor force?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 124th out of 171 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel of total labor force rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel of total labor force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Armed forces personnel of total labor force in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/armed-forces-personnel-of-total-labor-force/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel of total labor force
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
171 places, 5,022 data points, 1990–2020
Last refreshed