World Bank · Public Sector
China: Armed forces personnel
0.33percent · 2020-12.5% since 2010
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population. Annual figures for China from 1990 to 2020.
Every year
| Year | Value (percent) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.333 | |
| 2019 | 0.327 | |
| 2018 | 0.347 | |
| 2017 | 0.346 | |
| 2016 | 0.345 | |
| 2015 | 0.364 | |
| 2014 | 0.384 | |
| 2013 | 0.384 | |
| 2012 | 0.384 | |
| 2011 | 0.378 | |
| 2010 | 0.381 | |
| 2009 | 0.381 | |
| 2008 | 0.375 | |
| 2007 | 0.376 | |
| 2006 | 0.473 | |
| 2005 | 0.498 | |
| 2004 | 0.504 | |
| 2003 | 0.51 | |
| 2002 | 0.519 | |
| 2001 | 0.532 | |
| 2000 | 0.553 | |
| 1999 | 0.545 | |
| 1998 | 0.55 | |
| 1997 | 0.53 | |
| 1996 | 0.61 | |
| 1995 | 0.615 | |
| 1994 | 0.441 | |
| 1993 | 0.46 | |
| 1992 | 0.484 | |
| 1991 | 0.495 | |
| 1990 | 0.547 |
Source
Published by World Bank, produced by International Institute for Strategic Studies. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-11-08.
The dataset for every country, with quality and provenance →
Cite or download
World Bank (2026). Armed forces personnel. Interva. https://interva.co/dataset/worldbank-armed-forces-personnel (accessed 2026-11-14). catalog snapshot 2026-11-08.
Armed forces personnel in other countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia, Plurinational State of
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- Colombia
- Congo
- Congo, The Democratic Republic of the
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Korea, Republic of
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova, Republic of
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine, State of
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syrian Arab Republic
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania, United Republic of
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
- Viet Nam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Rank China against its region, see where publishers disagree, or ask a question in plain words on the Interva desk.