Armed Forces, Percent of Labor Force (Worldwide)

Comparing a nation’s military strength to its labor force provides a yardstick to compare each nation’s emphasis on military strength while controlling for nations with aging or young populations. In 2019, approximately 0.6% of the worldwide labor force was also part of their country's military force. That number differs widely across countries from a low of 0.0% for Iceland (which does not have a military) to 7.2% for North Korea and 10.0% for Eritrea. Other notable callouts include: 0.8% of the American, 1.2% of the Russian, 1.3% of Ukrainian, and 0.23% of Chinese labor force were considered part of their respective military force.