New data collected by NATO and the Global Firepower research project show that the proportion of women in the armed forces of different countries varies significantly. A ranking based on the percentage of women among military personnel revealed a number of rather unexpected leaders.
According to the data presented, North Korea ranks first, with women making up about 40% of its armed forces. Israel ranks second with a rate of 38%. The high percentage there is due to the fact that military service is mandatory for most women. Third place goes to South Africa, where women make up 24% of the military thanks to the inclusivity policies implemented after the end of apartheid.
Many European armies lag behind in gender representation
The situation is quite different in many countries in Europe and North America, where armies are formed primarily on a voluntary basis. Despite long-standing programs to recruit women into service, few countries have yet managed to achieve a comparable level of representation. NATO statistics show that “women remain underrepresented in the armed forces of Alliance countries.”
As far back as 2019, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles noted that women accounted for only 12.7% of military personnel in NATO member states. Since then, this figure has been gradually increasing. According to the alliance’s 2025 summary report, women make up approximately 12–13% of the personnel in NATO member states’ armed forces. However, only a few countries are approaching the levels seen in Israel or North Korea.
The global trend indicates a gradual increase in women’s participation in military service. More and more countries are opening up access for women to combat roles, command positions, and technically complex fields of activity. Although most of the world’s armies are still far from achieving full gender balance, statistics show that the role of women in modern armed forces continues to grow steadily, and issues of equal opportunity are becoming an important part of the military policy of many countries.
