§ Mr. Ralph HowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to the number of people in the armed forces and engaged in national service for France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and as a percentage of each nation's population for 1970, 1979, 1984 and 1988.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI regret that the information is not available in the precise form requested. The number of military personnel in the armed forces of France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United States of America and the United Kingdom for 1970, 1979, 1984 and 1988 and the percentage which this represents of each nation's total population for the relevant years are shown in the table.
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1970 1979 1984 1988 Total Armed Forces (Military only) as a percentage of the population France 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 Federal Republic of Germany 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 United Kingdom 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 United States of America 1.6 0.9 0.9 0.9 These figures are based on data compiled by the NATO statistical analysis service. Figures for 1988 are estimates.
We do not have information on the size of the armed forces of Sweden and Switzerland, or on the numbers engaged in national service in France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States for these years. There were no national service men in the United Kingdom in the years in question.