According to a recent NATO report, Poland now has the third-largest army within NATO, only surpassed by the United States and Turkey. This report, detailing defense expenditures and the size of military forces from 2014 to mid-2024, places Poland at the forefront in Europe with a military strength of over 216,000 personnel.
Jacek Siewiera, head of the president’s National Security Bureau, emphasized this ranking in a statement on X, stating, “Even if the figures from the ‘Defense Expenditure of NATO Countries’ are estimates for this year, Poland is indisputably the leading military force in Europe.”
This positioning highlights Poland’s significant contribution to NATO’s overall strength, which totals over 3.4 million soldiers across 32 nations. In comparison to other European nations, Poland’s armed forces surpass those of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom in terms of personnel numbers.
The Polish army, with a current strength assessed at 216,100 military personnel, ranks as the third-largest army in NATO, following the United States, which currently has 1.3 million soldiers, and Turkey, where 481,000 soldiers serve. Thus, Poland has surpassed all other allies in terms of size.
In Europe, the French forces are comparable to those of Poland, with NATO data showing 205,700 soldiers. They are followed by Germany with 185,600 soldiers, Italy with 171,400, and the United Kingdom with 138,100 soldiers. Among the countries with armies numbering over 100,000, Spain (117,400) and Greece (110,800) are also included.
The report also noted that Poland leads in defense spending as a percentage of GDP among European countries, though it still trails behind the U.S. in absolute terms. According to NATO’s estimated data, Polish defense expenditures will amount to about $35 billion this year, while the U.S. will spend about $967 billion. Countries with larger Western European armies, despite having fewer troops, will also spend more than Poland, including Germany ($97 billion), the United Kingdom ($82 billion), and France ($64 billion). Italy will have expenditures similar to Poland’s, around $34.5 billion.
According to data presented by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in June, by 2024, 23 out of 32 allies will meet the defense spending threshold of 2 percent of GDP, set at the Wales summit in 2014.
The total estimated defense spending of NATO countries is expected to increase by 17.9 percent this year compared to last year, marking the largest increase since 2014. This indicates that allies are collectively spending nearly $1.5 trillion on armaments.
