Sweden
Armed forces, share of workers in Sweden
Armed forces, share of workers in Sweden: 1.38% of the labour force in 1990 and 0.27% of the labour force in 2020, by IISS estimates.
- Latest, 2020
- 0.27% of the labour force
- Since 1990
- −1.11 percentage points
- Rank, 2020
- 147 of 168
- counting from the highest
- World, 2020
- 0.79% of the labour force
% of the labour force · IISS
What the numbers say
- The highest was 2.2% of the labour force in 1995, the lowest 0.27% of the labour force in 2020.
Every year
% of the labour force · IISS
| Year | Sweden | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0.27 | 0.79 |
| 2019 | 0.27 | 0.79 |
| 2018 | 0.28 | 0.8 |
| 2017 | 0.56 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | 0.58 | 0.81 |
| 2015 | 0.59 | 0.82 |
| 2014 | 0.6 | 0.82 |
| 2013 | 0.32 | 0.83 |
| 2012 | 0.32 | 0.87 |
| 2011 | 0.43 | 0.88 |
| 2010 | 0.43 | 0.89 |
| 2009 | 0.45 | 0.89 |
| 2008 | 0.36 | 0.89 |
| 2007 | 0.36 | 0.89 |
| 2006 | 0.52 | 0.95 |
| 2005 | 0.61 | 0.96 |
| 2004 | 0.6 | 0.94 |
| 2003 | 1.37 | 0.98 |
| 2002 | 1.52 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1.53 | 1.01 |
| 2000 | 1.97 | 1.07 |
| 1999 | 1.96 | 1.09 |
| 1998 | 1.99 | 1.13 |
| 1997 | 1.97 | 1.15 |
| 1996 | 2.17 | 1.18 |
| 1995 | 2.2 | 1.2 |
| 1994 | 1.57 | 0.94 |
| 1993 | 1.56 | 0.98 |
| 1992 | 1.53 | 1.03 |
| 1991 | 1.35 | 1.03 |
| 1990 | 1.38 | 1.11 |
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
Sweden in numbers
Every measure for Sweden on one page
Health
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Military
- Military spending2.47% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$15B in 2025
- Military spending per person$1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spending5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel15,000 people in 2020
- National power0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Arms imports146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exports235 million TIV in 2025