Brunei vs Malaysia
Brunei vs Malaysia: Armed forces, share of workers
Armed forces, share of workers in 2020: 3.57% of the labour force in Brunei and 0.81% of the labour force in Malaysia, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Brunei, by 2.76 percentage points, or 4.42 times that in Malaysia.
% of the labour force · IISS
What the numbers say
- Brunei has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1990.
- In 2020, Brunei ranked 12 and Malaysia ranked 87 of 168 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 0.79% of the labour force in 2020.
Every year
% of the labour force · IISS
| Year | Brunei | Malaysia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.57 | 0.81 | 0.79 |
| 2019 | 3.57 | 0.82 | 0.79 |
| 2018 | 3.63 | 0.84 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | 3.67 | 0.86 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | 5.63 | 0.87 | 0.81 |
| 2015 | 4.37 | 0.88 | 0.82 |
| 2014 | 4.43 | 0.91 | 0.82 |
| 2013 | 4.5 | 0.94 | 0.83 |
| 2012 | 4.57 | 0.98 | 0.87 |
| 2011 | 4.66 | 1.02 | 0.88 |
| 2010 | 4.75 | 1.05 | 0.89 |
| 2009 | 4.83 | 1.09 | 0.89 |
| 2008 | 4.78 | 1.13 | 0.89 |
| 2007 | 4.85 | 1.17 | 0.89 |
| 2006 | 4.93 | 1.21 | 0.95 |
| 2005 | 6.17 | 1.26 | 0.96 |
| 2004 | 5.74 | 1.26 | 0.94 |
| 2003 | 6.3 | 1.24 | 0.98 |
| 2002 | 6.47 | 1.25 | 1 |
| 2001 | 6.03 | 1.29 | 1.01 |
| 2000 | 5.66 | 1.29 | 1.07 |
| 1999 | 5.82 | 1.44 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 6.22 | 1.55 | 1.13 |
| 1997 | 6.43 | 1.63 | 1.15 |
| 1996 | 6.69 | 1.79 | 1.18 |
| 1995 | 6.85 | 1.86 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 3.94 | 1.58 | 0.94 |
| 1993 | 3.27 | 1.64 | 0.98 |
| 1992 | 3.38 | 1.89 | 1.03 |
| 1991 | 3.5 | 1.96 | 1.03 |
| 1990 | 3.6 | 2.06 | 1.11 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel as a share of everyone working or looking for work, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Ranks count the 168 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Brunei vs Malaysia
Health
- Life expectancyBrunei: 75.3 years in 2023Malaysia: 76.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBrunei: 1 per 100 live births in 2024Malaysia: 0.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBrunei: 8.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malaysia: 6.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBrunei: 2.56% in 2017Malaysia: 3.52% in 2017
- Suicide rateBrunei: 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Malaysia: 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBrunei: 458,900 people in 2023Malaysia: 35.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBrunei: 0.84% a year in 2023Malaysia: 1.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBrunei: 1.75 births per woman in 2023Malaysia: 1.55 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBrunei: 75% in 2025Malaysia: 77.4% in 2025
- Median ageBrunei: 31.8 years in 2023Malaysia: 30.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBrunei: 6.5% in 2023Malaysia: 7.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateBrunei: 0 per 1,000 people in 2023Malaysia: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBrunei: 3.65% of GDP in 2024Malaysia: 1.04% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBrunei: $560M in 2024Malaysia: $4.55B in 2025
- Military spending per personBrunei: $1,216 in 2024Malaysia: $138 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBrunei: 12.2% of government spending in 2024Malaysia: 4.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBrunei: 8,000 people in 2020Malaysia: 136,000 people in 2020
- National powerBrunei: 0.02% of world capability in 2022Malaysia: 0.46% of world capability in 2022
- Arms importsBrunei: 28 million TIV in 2024Malaysia: 7 million TIV in 2024
- Arms exportsBrunei: 12 million TIV in 2016Malaysia: 20 million TIV in 2024