South Korea vs United Kingdom: Armed forces, share of workers

Armed forces, share of workers in 2020: 2.01% of the labour force in South Korea and 0.45% of the labour force in United Kingdom, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.56 percentage points, or 4.49 times that in United Kingdom.

Watch it change on the map

% of the labour force · IISS

South KoreaUnited KingdomWorld

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1990.
In 2020, South Korea ranked 26 and United Kingdom ranked 121 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	South Korea	United Kingdom	World
2020	2.01	0.45	0.79
2019	2.15	0.44	0.79
2018	2.15	0.44	0.8
2017	2.26	0.44	0.8
2016	2.28	0.45	0.81
2015	2.31	0.46	0.82
2014	2.33	0.47	0.82
2013	2.5	0.49	0.83
2012	2.54	0.52	0.87
2011	2.59	0.52	0.88
2010	2.64	0.55	0.89
2009	2.67	0.56	0.89
2008	2.81	0.51	0.89
2007	2.83	0.51	0.89
2006	2.86	0.58	0.95
2005	2.89	0.71	0.96
2004	2.92	0.68	0.94
2003	2.95	0.71	0.98
2002	2.96	0.71	1
2001	3	0.72	1.01
2000	3.05	0.73	1.07
1999	3.06	0.75	1.09
1998	3.09	0.76	1.13
1997	3.04	0.76	1.15
1996	3.07	0.78	1.18
1995	3.01	0.82	1.2
1994	3.6	0.91	0.94
1993	3.71	0.96	0.98
1992	3.77	1.03	1.03
1991	3.85	1.05	1.03
1990	3.44	1.07	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

South Korea vs United Kingdom

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Korea: 0 deaths in 2022United Kingdom: 0 deaths in 2022