In This Secretive Country, More Than 1 In 10 Adults Is In The Military

Special Report

Eritrea+air+force | Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker Eritrean Air Force, Eritrea, 2010

Published: March 18, 2025 6:46 am

24/7 Wall St. Insights

In the United States, the armed forces constitutes 0.8% of the total labor force.
In some countries, the proportion is much, much higher.
The most militarized countries are a mix of small, authoritarian regimes with strict conscription policies and larger countries engaged in conflict.
Also: Discover the next Nvidia

In the United States – home to one of the largest, most powerful militaries in the world – armed forces personnel constitute just 0.8% of the total labor force. While the military is just a fraction of the population in most of the developed world, in some countries the proportion is much higher.

Many smaller countries maintain relatively large armies, due to in some cases to ongoing conflict, strict conscription policies, or the influence of authoritarian governments that prioritize defense over other economic sectors. In North Korea, for example, all men are required to serve up to 10 years in the combat forces and up to 13 years in specialized combat forces. The heavy militarization in North Korea has resulted in an army that constitutes 8.6% of the national labor force. In the most militarized country – a secretive country whose policy of indefinite national service has provoked significant international criticism for its impact on human rights and economic development – more than one in 10 adults is the military. A closer look at the data reveals the countries where the most residents are in the military.

To determine the countries where the most residents are in the military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on armed forces counts from the World Bank. Countries were ranked based on the number of armed forces personnel as a percentage of the total labor force. Supplemental data on military expenditure and population are also from the World Bank. All data is for the most recent period available.

40. Namibia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.6%
Armed forces personnel, total: 16,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.7%
Military expenditure, total: $338.2 million
Total population: 3.0 million

39. Turkey

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.6%
Armed forces personnel, total: 512,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.5%
Military expenditure, total: $15.8 billion
Total population: 85.3 million

38. Colombia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.7%
Armed forces personnel, total: 428,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.9%
Military expenditure, total: $10.7 billion
Total population: 52.3 million

37. Singapore

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.7%
Armed forces personnel, total: 59,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.7%
Military expenditure, total: $13.2 billion
Total population: 5.9 million

36. Cyprus

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.8%
Armed forces personnel, total: 13,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.8%
Military expenditure, total: $566.9 million
Total population: 1.3 million

35. Afghanistan

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.8%
Armed forces personnel, total: 165,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.8%
Military expenditure, total: $278.3 million
Total population: 41.5 million

34. Saudi Arabia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.9%
Armed forces personnel, total: 282,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 7.1%
Military expenditure, total: $75.8 billion
Total population: 33.3 million

33. Myanmar

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 1.9%
Armed forces personnel, total: 463,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 3.8%
Military expenditure, total: $2.5 billion
Total population: 54.1 million

32. Russia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 1,454,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 5.9%
Military expenditure, total: $109.5 billion
Total population: 143.8 million

31. North Macedonia

Great Basilica at Heraclea Lyncestis ancient ruins near Bitola, North Macedonia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 16,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.7%
Military expenditure, total: $266.6 million
Total population: 1.8 million

30. Mauritania

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 21,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.5%
Military expenditure, total: $277.2 million
Total population: 5.0 million

29. South Korea

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 569,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.8%
Military expenditure, total: $47.9 billion
Total population: 51.7 million

28. Cambodia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 191,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.1%
Military expenditure, total: $668.0 million
Total population: 17.4 million

27. Morocco

casablanca: mosque Hassan II (BY 2.0) by flequi

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.1%
Armed forces personnel, total: 246,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 3.6%
Military expenditure, total: $5.2 billion
Total population: 37.7 million

26. Oman

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.1%
Armed forces personnel, total: 47,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 5.4%
Military expenditure, total: $5.9 billion
Total population: 5.0 million

25. Bahrain

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.3%
Armed forces personnel, total: 19,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 3.1%
Military expenditure, total: $1.4 billion
Total population: 1.6 million

24. Bhutan

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.3%
Armed forces personnel, total: 6,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: N/A
Military expenditure, total: N/A
Total population: 786,385

23. Iran

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.4%
Armed forces personnel, total: 650,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.1%
Military expenditure, total: $10.3 billion
Total population: 90.6 million

22. Lithuania

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.5%
Armed forces personnel, total: 37,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.7%
Military expenditure, total: $2.2 billion
Total population: 2.9 million

21. Turkmenistan

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.6%
Armed forces personnel, total: 57,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.9%
Military expenditure, total: $111.9 million
Total population: 7.4 million

20. Algeria

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.7%
Armed forces personnel, total: 326,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 8.2%
Military expenditure, total: $18.3 billion
Total population: 46.2 million

19. Egypt

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 2.8%
Armed forces personnel, total: 836,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 0.9%
Military expenditure, total: $3.2 billion
Total population: 114.5 million

18. Belarus

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 158,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.8%
Military expenditure, total: $1.4 billion
Total population: 9.2 million

17. Armenia

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 47,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 5.5%
Military expenditure, total: $1.3 billion
Total population: 3.0 million

16. Greece

Santorini Greece 2023 by Harold Litwiler

Santorini Greece 2023 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harold Litwiler

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 147,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 3.2%
Military expenditure, total: $7.7 billion
Total population: 10.4 million

15. Venezuela

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 343,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 0.5%
Military expenditure, total: $3.9 million
Total population: 28.3 million

14. Brunei Darussalam

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.6%
Armed forces personnel, total: 8,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 3.0%
Military expenditure, total: $448.9 million
Total population: 458,949

13. Sri Lanka

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic [Kandy] by Jorge Lascar

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic [Kandy] (BY 2.0) by Jorge Lascar

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 3.7%
Armed forces personnel, total: 317,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.6%
Military expenditure, total: $1.2 billion
Total population: 22.0 million

12. Jordan

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.0%
Armed forces personnel, total: 116,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 4.9%
Military expenditure, total: $2.5 billion
Total population: 11.4 million

11. Laos

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.1%
Armed forces personnel, total: 129,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 0.2%
Military expenditure, total: $22.7 million
Total population: 7.7 million

10. Israel

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 178,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 5.3%
Military expenditure, total: $27.5 billion
Total population: 9.8 million

9. Lebanon

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.3%
Armed forces personnel, total: 80,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 8.9%
Military expenditure, total: $241.3 million
Total population: 5.8 million

8. Iraq

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.5%
Armed forces personnel, total: 459,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.1%
Military expenditure, total: $5.1 billion
Total population: 45.1 million

7. Montenegro

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 4.7%
Armed forces personnel, total: 12,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 1.6%
Military expenditure, total: $114.5 million
Total population: 616,177

6. Sao Tome and Principe

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 5.1%
Armed forces personnel, total: 1,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: N/A
Military expenditure, total: N/A
Total population: 230,871

5. Syria

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 5.2%
Armed forces personnel, total: 269,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 4.1%
Military expenditure, total: $2.5 billion
Total population: 23.6 million

4. Maldives

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 5.4%
Armed forces personnel, total: 5,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: N/A
Military expenditure, total: N/A
Total population: 525,994

3. Djibouti

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 5.5%
Armed forces personnel, total: 13,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 2.6%
Military expenditure, total: $36.3 million
Total population: 1.2 million

2. North Korea

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 8.6%
Armed forces personnel, total: 1,469,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: N/A
Military expenditure, total: $1.6 billion
Total population: 26.4 million

1. Eritrea

Three Tanks (CC BY 2.0) by David Stanley

Armed forces as percentage of total labor force: 13.4%
Armed forces personnel, total: 202,000
Military expenditure as percentage of GDP: 20.9%
Military expenditure, total: $181.6 million
Total population: 3.5 million

Take Charge of Your Retirement In Just A Few Minutes (Sponsor)

Retirement planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The key is finding expert guidance—and SmartAsset’s simple quiz makes it easier than ever for you to connect with a vetted financial advisor.

Here’s how it works:

Answer a Few Simple Questions. Tell us a bit about your goals and preferences—it only takes a few minutes!
Get Matched with Vetted Advisors Our smart tool matches you with up to three pre-screened, vetted advisors who serve your area and are held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. Click here to begin
Choose Your Fit Review their profiles, schedule an introductory call (or meet in person), and select the advisor who feel is right for you.

Why wait? Start building the retirement you’ve always dreamed of. Click here to get started today!