Japan vs Sweden
Japan vs Sweden: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 261,000 people in Japan and 15,000 people in Sweden, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Japan, by 246,000 people, or 17 times that in Sweden.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Japan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Japan | Sweden | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 261,000 | 15,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 261,000 | 15,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 261,200 | 15,150 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 261,000 | 30,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 260,900 | 30,550 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 259,800 | 30,550 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 259,800 | 30,550 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 259,800 | 16,100 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 259,800 | 16,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 260,100 | 21,300 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 260,400 | 21,160 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 260,400 | 21,870 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 242,000 | 17,600 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 242,000 | 17,600 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 252,000 | 24,600 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 272,000 | 28,600 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 251,000 | 27,600 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 252,100 | 63,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 252,100 | 69,500 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 252,100 | 69,500 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 248,700 | 88,300 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 254,600 | 88,700 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 254,600 | 88,700 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 247,600 | 88,950 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 247,500 | 98,200 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 251,500 | 99,600 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 233,000 | 70,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 242,000 | 70,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 242,000 | 70,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 250,000 | 63,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 250,000 | 65,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 247,000 | 62,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 243,000 | 65,700 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 241,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1983 | 241,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1982 | 243,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1981 | 241,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1980 | 242,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1979 | 239,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1978 | 239,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1977 | 236,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1976 | 236,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1975 | 237,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1974 | 237,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1973 | 233,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1972 | 233,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1971 | 234,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1970 | 236,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1969 | 236,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1968 | 235,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1967 | 231,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1966 | 227,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1965 | 246,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1964 | 244,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1963 | 243,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1962 | 235,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1961 | 230,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1960 | 263,000 | 29,000 | – |
| 1959 | 255,000 | 29,000 | – |
| 1958 | 243,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1957 | 224,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1956 | 215,000 | – | – |
| 1955 | 196,000 | – | – |
| 1954 | 165,000 | – | – |
| 1953 | 123,000 | – | – |
| 1952 | 119,000 | – | – |
| 1945 | 6.1 million | 400,000 | – |
| 1944 | 4.33 million | 400,000 | – |
| 1943 | 3.08 million | 400,000 | – |
| 1942 | 3.08 million | 400,000 | – |
| 1941 | 3.08 million | – | – |
| 1940 | 957,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1939 | 957,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 370,000 | 41,000 | – |
| 1937 | 393,000 | 27,000 | – |
| 1936 | 416,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1935 | 410,000 | 39,000 | – |
| 1934 | 399,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 371,000 | 34,000 | – |
| 1932 | 370,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1931 | 292,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1930 | 293,000 | 39,000 | – |
| 1929 | 296,000 | 38,000 | – |
| 1928 | 285,000 | 38,000 | – |
| 1927 | 274,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1926 | 302,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1925 | 306,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1924 | 306,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1923 | 306,000 | 25,000 | – |
| 1922 | 306,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1921 | 306,000 | 25,000 | – |
| 1920 | 306,000 | 101,000 | – |
| 1919 | 306,000 | – | – |
| 1918 | 660,000 | 101,000 | – |
| 1917 | 660,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1916 | 650,000 | 99,000 | – |
| 1915 | 650,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1914 | 300,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 296,000 | 86,000 | – |
| 1912 | 275,000 | 74,000 | – |
| 1911 | 274,000 | 74,000 | – |
| 1910 | 283,000 | 71,000 | – |
| 1909 | 273,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1908 | 273,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1907 | 262,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1906 | 266,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1905 | 250,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1904 | 218,000 | 95,000 | – |
| 1903 | 214,000 | 103,000 | – |
| 1902 | 209,000 | 73,000 | – |
| 1901 | 206,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1900 | 182,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1899 | 147,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1898 | 156,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1897 | 132,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1896 | 103,000 | 62,000 | – |
| 1895 | 207,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1894 | 83,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1893 | 71,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1892 | 79,000 | 63,000 | – |
| 1891 | 89,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1890 | 71,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1889 | 69,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1888 | 62,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1887 | 62,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1886 | 56,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1885 | 52,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1884 | 48,000 | 62,000 | – |
| 1883 | 48,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1882 | 47,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1881 | 46,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1880 | 45,000 | 92,000 | – |
| 1879 | 44,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1878 | 43,000 | 86,000 | – |
| 1877 | 38,000 | 94,000 | – |
| 1876 | 37,000 | 54,000 | – |
| 1875 | 41,000 | 79,000 | – |
| 1874 | 41,000 | – | – |
| 1873 | 40,000 | 82,000 | – |
| 1872 | 20,000 | 86,000 | – |
| 1871 | 17,000 | 83,000 | – |
| 1870 | 6,000 | 83,000 | – |
| 1869 | 6,000 | 83,000 | – |
| 1868 | 0 | 83,000 | – |
| 1867 | 0 | 120,000 | – |
| 1866 | 0 | 120,000 | – |
| 1865 | 0 | 117,000 | – |
| 1864 | 0 | 117,000 | – |
| 1863 | 0 | 91,000 | – |
| 1862 | 12,000 | 91,000 | – |
| 1861 | 12,000 | 77,000 | – |
| 1860 | 12,000 | 77,000 | – |
| 1859 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1858 | – | 76,000 | – |
| 1857 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1856 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1855 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1853 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1852 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1851 | – | 34,000 | – |
| 1850 | – | 34,000 | – |
| 1849 | – | 49,000 | – |
| 1848 | – | 47,000 | – |
| 1846 | – | 52,000 | – |
| 1844 | – | 52,000 | – |
| 1840 | – | 52,000 | – |
| 1833 | – | 52,000 | – |
| 1831 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1830 | – | 42,000 | – |
| 1828 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1823 | – | 45,000 | – |
| 1819 | – | 54,000 | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 170 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
Japan vs Sweden
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023Sweden: 83.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024Sweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022Sweden: 99.7% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017Sweden: 4.49% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Sweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023Sweden: 10.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023Sweden: 0.56% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Sweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025Sweden: 89.1% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023Sweden: 39.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023Sweden: 20.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Sweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingJapan: 1.41% of GDP in 2025Sweden: 2.47% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025Sweden: $15B in 2025
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025Sweden: $1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Sweden: 5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerJapan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022Sweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020Sweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025Sweden: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsJapan: 28 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 235 million TIV in 2025