Norway vs Sweden
Norway vs Sweden: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 25,000 people in Norway and 15,000 people in Sweden, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Norway, by 10,000 people, or 1.67 times that in Sweden.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Norway has been higher since 2018, when it overtook Sweden.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Norway | Sweden | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 25,000 | 15,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 23,000 | 15,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 23,250 | 15,150 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 23,000 | 30,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 23,950 | 30,550 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 24,950 | 30,550 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 25,800 | 30,550 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 25,800 | 16,100 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 25,800 | 16,100 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 24,450 | 21,300 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 24,450 | 21,160 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 26,450 | 21,870 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 19,000 | 17,600 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 19,000 | 17,600 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 16,000 | 24,600 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 47,000 | 28,600 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 25,000 | 27,600 | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 26,600 | 63,200 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 26,600 | 69,500 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 26,700 | 69,500 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 27,000 | 88,300 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 31,000 | 88,700 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 28,870 | 88,700 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 34,300 | 88,950 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 30,700 | 98,200 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 30,700 | 99,600 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 33,000 | 70,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 32,000 | 70,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 36,000 | 70,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 41,000 | 63,000 | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 51,000 | 65,000 | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 43,000 | 62,000 | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 37,000 | 65,700 | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 39,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1983 | 41,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1982 | 40,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1981 | 39,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1980 | 40,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1979 | 40,000 | 68,000 | – |
| 1978 | 40,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1977 | 39,000 | 69,000 | – |
| 1976 | 39,000 | 66,000 | – |
| 1975 | 38,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1974 | 40,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1973 | 39,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1972 | 35,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1971 | 35,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1970 | 35,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1969 | 35,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1968 | 35,000 | 75,000 | – |
| 1967 | 35,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1966 | 35,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1965 | 35,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1964 | 35,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1963 | 35,000 | 70,000 | – |
| 1962 | 34,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1961 | 32,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1960 | 37,000 | 29,000 | – |
| 1959 | 36,000 | 29,000 | – |
| 1958 | 35,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1957 | 34,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1956 | 34,000 | – | – |
| 1955 | 33,000 | – | – |
| 1954 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1953 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1952 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1951 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1950 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1949 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1948 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1947 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1946 | 33,000 | – | – |
| 1945 | 4,000 | 400,000 | – |
| 1944 | – | 400,000 | – |
| 1943 | – | 400,000 | – |
| 1942 | – | 400,000 | – |
| 1940 | 4,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1939 | 4,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 4,000 | 41,000 | – |
| 1937 | 4,000 | 27,000 | – |
| 1936 | 4,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1935 | 4,000 | 39,000 | – |
| 1934 | 4,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 5,000 | 34,000 | – |
| 1932 | 5,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1931 | 5,000 | 32,000 | – |
| 1930 | 4,000 | 39,000 | – |
| 1929 | 6,000 | 38,000 | – |
| 1928 | 6,000 | 38,000 | – |
| 1927 | 6,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1926 | 7,000 | 28,000 | – |
| 1925 | 6,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1924 | 7,000 | 40,000 | – |
| 1923 | 7,000 | 25,000 | – |
| 1922 | 7,000 | 30,000 | – |
| 1921 | 7,000 | 25,000 | – |
| 1920 | 7,000 | 101,000 | – |
| 1919 | 7,000 | – | – |
| 1918 | 7,000 | 101,000 | – |
| 1917 | 7,000 | 100,000 | – |
| 1916 | 5,000 | 99,000 | – |
| 1915 | 5,000 | 80,000 | – |
| 1914 | 5,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 5,000 | 86,000 | – |
| 1912 | 5,000 | 74,000 | – |
| 1911 | 5,000 | 74,000 | – |
| 1910 | 5,000 | 71,000 | – |
| 1909 | 7,000 | 65,000 | – |
| 1908 | 7,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1907 | 7,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1906 | 7,000 | 67,000 | – |
| 1905 | 32,000 | 64,000 | – |
| 1904 | – | 95,000 | – |
| 1903 | – | 103,000 | – |
| 1902 | – | 73,000 | – |
| 1901 | – | 75,000 | – |
| 1900 | – | 75,000 | – |
| 1899 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1898 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1897 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1896 | – | 62,000 | – |
| 1895 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1894 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1893 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1892 | – | 63,000 | – |
| 1891 | – | 66,000 | – |
| 1890 | – | 66,000 | – |
| 1889 | – | 64,000 | – |
| 1888 | – | 64,000 | – |
| 1887 | – | 65,000 | – |
| 1886 | – | 65,000 | – |
| 1885 | – | 65,000 | – |
| 1884 | – | 62,000 | – |
| 1883 | – | 69,000 | – |
| 1882 | – | 67,000 | – |
| 1881 | – | 66,000 | – |
| 1880 | – | 92,000 | – |
| 1879 | – | 64,000 | – |
| 1878 | – | 86,000 | – |
| 1877 | – | 94,000 | – |
| 1876 | – | 54,000 | – |
| 1875 | – | 79,000 | – |
| 1873 | – | 82,000 | – |
| 1872 | – | 86,000 | – |
| 1871 | – | 83,000 | – |
| 1870 | – | 83,000 | – |
| 1869 | – | 83,000 | – |
| 1868 | – | 83,000 | – |
| 1867 | – | 120,000 | – |
| 1866 | – | 120,000 | – |
| 1865 | – | 117,000 | – |
| 1864 | – | 117,000 | – |
| 1863 | – | 91,000 | – |
| 1862 | – | 91,000 | – |
| 1861 | – | 77,000 | – |
| 1860 | – | 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
Norway vs Sweden
Health
- Life expectancyNorway: 83.3 years in 2023Sweden: 83.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorway: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Sweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorway: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNorway: 98.8% in 2022Sweden: 99.7% in 2022
- DepressionNorway: 3.77% in 2017Sweden: 4.49% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorway: 9.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Sweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorway: 5.52 million people in 2023Sweden: 10.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorway: 1.11% a year in 2023Sweden: 0.56% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNorway: 1.41 births per woman in 2023Sweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNorway: 83.6% in 2025Sweden: 89.1% in 2025
- Median ageNorway: 39.5 years in 2023Sweden: 39.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorway: 18.5% in 2023Sweden: 20.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorway: 9.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Sweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNorway: 3.28% of GDP in 2025Sweden: 2.47% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNorway: $16.1B in 2025Sweden: $15B in 2025
- Military spending per personNorway: $3,040 in 2025Sweden: $1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNorway: 6.7% of government spending in 2025Sweden: 5% of government spending in 2025
- National powerNorway: 0.14% of world capability in 2022Sweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNorway: 0.85% of the labour force in 2020Sweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorway: 407 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNorway: 415 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 235 million TIV in 2025