Fiji: Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Fiji's armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) rose 0.06 percentage points on 2019 (from 1.07% to 1.13%).

Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.3 percentage points in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.36 percentage points in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 89% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Fiji had the 60th highest value of the 168 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Fiji in the 2020 ranking

• South Sudan — 57th of 168: 1.17%
• Croatia — 58th of 168: 1.17%
• Thailand — 59th of 168: 1.13%
• Qatar — 61st of 168: 1.07%
• Poland — 62nd of 168: 1.04%
• Guyana — 63rd of 168: 1.04%

What this measures

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces. Labor force comprises all people who meet the International Labour Organization's definition of the economically active population.

Limitations: Data exclude personnel not on active duty, therefore they underestimate the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. Governments rarely report the size of their armed forces, so such data typically come from intelligence sources. Unless otherwise indicated, reserves includes all reservists committed to rejoining the armed forces in an emergency, except when national reserve service obligations following conscription last almost a lifetime.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 31 values

Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) in nearby economies

• Australia — 0.44% (2020)
• Brunei Darussalam — 3.57% (2020)
• Cambodia — 2.01% (2020)
• China — 0.33% (2020)
• Indonesia — 0.49% (2020)
• Japan — 0.38% (2020)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 8.62% (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.01% (2020)
• Lao PDR — 4.08% (2020)
• Malaysia

More public sector data for Fiji

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 81.16 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 184.81 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.33% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 4.17% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 4,000 (2020)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 564.11 million (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 14.82% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 3.6 billion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 26.62% (2024)
• Taxes on exports (current LCU) — 10.1 million (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Fiji's armed forces personnel (% of total labor force)?

1.13% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 0.63 percentage points from 1.76% in 1990. The highest value was 1.76% in 1990 and the lowest 0.87% in 2011.

How does Fiji rank?

60th highest of 168 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) unusual for Fiji?

In 2020, Fiji's armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) rose 0.06 percentage points on 2019 (from 1.07% to 1.13%). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2019), the average change was −0.02 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.TF.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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