Military

Europe's Most Powerful Military: Which Nation Leads the Continent?

Getty Images / Getty Images

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

  • Even after the dissolution of its empire, the UK is home to one of the most powerful militaries in the world
  • As a founding member of NATO, the UK has historically been one of the stronger allies rendering aid to its fellow members in need, or helping the United States to lead the charge in joint operations
  • What separates the UK’s military from the rest of Europe is the nation’s investment in cutting-edge technology
  • Also: Discover “The Next NVIDIA”

Once the seat of power to one of the largest empires in the history of the world, the United Kingdom has maintained a reputation for military excellence over the centuries. Originally renowned for its naval power, the UK has evolved with the times to employ one of the most powerful air forces on the planet. In the modern era, and excluding Russia from the calculus, the United Kingdom owns the most powerful military in Europe. (NATO’s internal tensions are getting worrisome.)

Even after the dissolution of its empire, the UK remains a key player in global defense alliances. As a founding member of NATO, the UK has historically been one of the stronger allies rendering aid to its fellow members in need, or helping the United States to lead the charge in joint operations.

What separates the UK’s military from the rest of Europe is the nation’s investment in cutting-edge technology, especially in cyber warfare capabilities and unmanned drones. Also the UK is home to BAE Systems, which is one of the largest defense and aerospace companies in the world.

The air force and navy make up most of the UK’s military might and allow for this small island nation to project power globally. While the UK has the strongest military in Europe, its continental neighbors like France and Spain have formidable militaries as well. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the military powers on the European continent. (These countries are missing their NATO funding by a mile.)

To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Europe, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well. It is important to note that we have excluded Russia from this list.

Here is a look at the strongest militaries in Europe:

Why Are We Covering This?

High detailed political map of western Europe
Alexander Lukatskiy / Shutterstock.com

Understanding the military dynamics in Europe is important considering the continent’s deeply rooted geopolitical challenges going forward. Historically, Europe has been marked by wars, shifting alliances, and territorial disputes, and yet it still remains a key player on the global stage. At the same time, alliances like the EU or NATO are some of the most powerful in terms of their influence on the world. Whether it is a question of NATO’s expansion or Russia’s campaign in Eastern Europe, these military forces tilt the region’s balance of power.

38. Moldova

  • Active military personnel: 8,500
  • Reserve military personnel: 67,000
  • Total military aircraft: 3
  • Total helicopters: 2
  • Total military vehicles: 450
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 4.2311 – #144 out of 145

Moldova has a total population of 3.3 million, of this population 1.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

37. Iceland

Iceland | Reykjavik capital city of iceland
patpongs / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 0
  • Reserve military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 0
  • Total helicopters: 0
  • Total military vehicles: 175
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 3.5038 – #136 out of 145

Iceland has a total population of 360,872, of this population 49,800 are fit to serve in the military.

36. Kosovo

  • Active military personnel: 10,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 5,000
  • Total military aircraft: 0
  • Total helicopters: 0
  • Total military vehicles: 922
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 3.4115 – #135 out of 145

Kosovo has a total population of 2.0 million, of this population 738,000 are fit to serve in the military.

35. Montenegro

  • Active military personnel: 2,350
  • Reserve military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 11
  • Total helicopters: 11
  • Total military vehicles: 662
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 13
  • Military strength score and world rank: 2.9109 – #129 out of 145

Montenegro has a total population of 602,445, of this population 85,547 are fit to serve in the military.

34. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia+and+Herzegovina+artillery | Prepping for mission
U.S. Army Europe / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active military personnel: 12,770
  • Reserve military personnel: 6,000
  • Total military aircraft: 24
  • Total helicopters: 24
  • Total military vehicles: 450
  • Total tanks: 91
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 2.3996 – #116 out of 145

Bosnia and Herzegovina have a total population of 3.8 million, of this population 2.0 million are fit to serve in the military.

33. North Macedonia

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 9,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 60,000
  • Total military aircraft: 20
  • Total helicopters: 10
  • Total military vehicles: 2,156
  • Total tanks: 23
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 2.1717 – #110 out of 145

North Macedonia has a total population of 2.1 million, of this population 782,000 are fit to serve in the military.

32. Luxembourg

SvetlanaSF / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 1,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 1
  • Total helicopters: 0
  • Total military vehicles: 180
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 2.1458 – #109 out of 145

Luxembourg has a total population of 660,924, of this population 91,208 are fit to serve in the military.

31. Latvia

imantsu / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 17,250
  • Reserve military personnel: 36,000
  • Total military aircraft: 7
  • Total helicopters: 7
  • Total military vehicles: 1,544
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 18
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.9911 – #99 out of 145

Latvia has a total population of 1.8 million, of this population 655,000 are fit to serve in the military.

30. Ireland

Dublin map. Close up of Dublin map with red pin. Map with red pin point of Dublin in Ireland.
PredragLasica / Shutterstock.com
  • Active military personnel: 7,765
  • Reserve military personnel: 1,700
  • Total military aircraft: 25
  • Total helicopters: 8
  • Total military vehicles: 1,064
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 6
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.8779 – #94 out of 145

Ireland has a total population of 5.3 million, of this population 2.0 million are fit to serve in the military.

29. Slovenia

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 7,300
  • Reserve military personnel: 26,000
  • Total military aircraft: 38
  • Total helicopters: 12
  • Total military vehicles: 1,502
  • Total tanks: 55
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 2
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145

Slovenia has a total population of 2.1 million, of this population 827,000 are fit to serve in the military.

28. Albania

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 6,600
  • Reserve military personnel: 2,000
  • Total military aircraft: 19
  • Total helicopters: 19
  • Total military vehicles: 976
  • Total tanks: 40
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 19
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.8188 – #90 out of 145

Albania has a total population of 3.1 million, of this population 1.3 million are fit to serve in the military.

27. Lithuania

Sean Gallup / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 23,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 104,000
  • Total military aircraft: 9
  • Total helicopters: 4
  • Total military vehicles: 1,356
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 11
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.7395 – #88 out of 145

Lithuania has a total population of 2.7 million, of this population 1.3 million are fit to serve in the military.

26. Estonia

2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 7,700
  • Reserve military personnel: 78,800
  • Total military aircraft: 7
  • Total helicopters: 3
  • Total military vehicles: 1,409
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 10
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.7237 – #87 out of 145

Estonia has a total population of 1.2 million, of this population 459,000 are fit to serve in the military.

25. Austria

This picture was taken by a police officer of the Austrian police. The identity of this police officer will stay secret out of reasons of anonymity, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 16,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 125,600
  • Total military aircraft: 104
  • Total helicopters: 66
  • Total military vehicles: 848
  • Total tanks: 58
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.2351 – #71 out of 145

Austria has a total population of 8.9 million, of this population 3.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

24. Belgium

  • Active military personnel: 25,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 6,400
  • Total military aircraft: 110
  • Total helicopters: 20
  • Total military vehicles: 4,606
  • Total tanks: 0
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 9
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.2064 – #70 out of 145

Belgium has a total population of 11.9 million, of this population 3.9 million are fit to serve in the military.

23. Slovakia

  • Active military personnel: 19,500
  • Reserve military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 37
  • Total helicopters: 22
  • Total military vehicles: 2,048
  • Total tanks: 36
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145

Slovakia has a total population of 5.4 million, of this population 2.3 million are fit to serve in the military.

22. Croatia

  • Active military personnel: 14,325
  • Reserve military personnel: 20,100
  • Total military aircraft: 81
  • Total helicopters: 52
  • Total military vehicles: 3,076
  • Total tanks: 75
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 32
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145

Croatia has a total population of 4.2 million, of this population 1.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

21. Belarus

Belarus+MLRS | Polonez MLRS (05)
Homoatrox / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 63,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 145,000
  • Total military aircraft: 183
  • Total helicopters: 64
  • Total military vehicles: 6,700
  • Total tanks: 517
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.0901 – #64 out of 145

Belarus has a total population of 9.4 million, of this population 3.7 are fit to serve in the military.

20. Bulgaria

  • Active military personnel: 37,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 3,000
  • Total military aircraft: 65
  • Total helicopters: 27
  • Total military vehicles: 7,420
  • Total tanks: 215
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 40
  • Military strength score and world rank: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145

Bulgaria has a total population of 6.8 million, of this population 2.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

19. Serbia

Mihajlo Maricic / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 25,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 2,000
  • Total military aircraft: 112
  • Total helicopters: 44
  • Total military vehicles: 3,954
  • Total tanks: 262
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.9038 – #56 out of 145

Serbia has a total population of 6.7 million, of this population 2.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

18. Hungary

Jozsef Soos / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 41,600
  • Reserve military personnel: 20,000
  • Total military aircraft: 62
  • Total helicopters: 38
  • Total military vehicles: 7,797
  • Total tanks: 208
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145

Hungary has a total population of 9.7 million, of this population 3.7 million are fit to serve in the military.

17. Finland

Finland artillery | Missile system on the background of the Finnish flag
Anton Petrus / Moment via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 24,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 870,000
  • Total military aircraft: 164
  • Total helicopters: 27
  • Total military vehicles: 11,716
  • Total tanks: 200
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 246
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145

Finland has a total population of 5.6 million, of this population 1.9 million are fit to serve in the military.

16. Denmark

  • Active military personnel: 20,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 12,000
  • Total military aircraft: 119
  • Total helicopters: 34
  • Total military vehicles: 4,056
  • Total tanks: 44
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 91
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145

Denmark has a total population of 5.9 million, of this population 2.1 million are fit to serve in the military.

15. Romania

Romania+tanks | Romanian tanks attack during Combined Resolve II
7armyjmtc / Flickr
  • Active military personnel: 81,300
  • Reserve military personnel: 55,000
  • Total military aircraft: 131
  • Total helicopters: 67
  • Total military vehicles: 9,990
  • Total tanks: 345
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 20
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145

Romania has a total population of 18.3 million, of this population 7.8 million are fit to serve in the military.

14. Czechia

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Active military personnel: 28,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 4,200
  • Total military aircraft: 88
  • Total helicopters: 33
  • Total military vehicles: 6,757
  • Total tanks: 65
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145

Czechia has a total population of 10.7 million, of this population 4.1 million are fit to serve in the military.

13. Switzerland

hxyume / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 101,584
  • Reserve military personnel: 49,715
  • Total military aircraft: 147
  • Total helicopters: 41
  • Total military vehicles: 4,304
  • Total tanks: 134
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 0
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.6097 – #43 out of 145

Switzerland has a total population of 8.6 million, of this population 3.1 million are fit to serve in the military.

12. Norway

  • Active military personnel: 23,250
  • Reserve military personnel: 0
  • Total military aircraft: 102
  • Total helicopters: 37
  • Total military vehicles: 7,048
  • Total tanks: 36
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 25
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145

Norway has a total population of 5.6 million, of this population 1.8 million are fit to serve in the military.

11. Netherlands

2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 41,380
  • Reserve military personnel: 6,765
  • Total military aircraft: 143
  • Total helicopters: 66
  • Total military vehicles: 3,176
  • Total tanks: 18
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 112
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145

Netherlands has a total population of 17.5 million, of this population 6.4 million are fit to serve in the military.

10. Portugal

Portugal+F-16 | Lockheed Martin F-16 AM of the Portuguese Air Force
Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active military personnel: 24,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 211,700
  • Total military aircraft: 117
  • Total helicopters: 38
  • Total military vehicles: 11,173
  • Total tanks: 34
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 113
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145

Portugal has a total population of 10.5 million, of this population 4.0 million are fit to serve in the military.

9. Greece

Greece+F-16 | N/A
Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active military personnel: 142,700
  • Reserve military personnel: 221,350
  • Total military aircraft: 632
  • Total helicopters: 289
  • Total military vehicles: 57,030
  • Total tanks: 1,365
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 187
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145

Greece has a total population of 10.5 million, of this population 4.0 million are fit to serve in the military.

8. Sweden

Sweden+Gripen-E | Gripen E/F Test Aircraft
Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Active military personnel: 24,400
  • Reserve military personnel: 32,900
  • Total military aircraft: 212
  • Total helicopters: 53
  • Total military vehicles: 7,958
  • Total tanks: 120
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 353
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145

Sweden has a total population of 10.5 million, of this population 3.5 million are fit to serve in the military.

7. Poland

2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 202,100
  • Reserve military personnel: 350,000
  • Total military aircraft: 468
  • Total helicopters: 215
  • Total military vehicles: 13,956
  • Total tanks: 612
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 45
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145

Poland has a total population of 38.0 million, of this population 15.3 million are fit to serve in the military.

6. Spain

ManuelVelasco / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 133,282
  • Reserve military personnel: 15,150
  • Total military aircraft: 513
  • Total helicopters: 121
  • Total military vehicles: 15,046
  • Total tanks: 327
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 168
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145

Spain has a total population of 47.2 million, of this population 17.6 million are fit to serve in the military.

5. Germany

huettenhoelscher / iStock via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 181,600
  • Reserve military personnel: 34,000
  • Total military aircraft: 618
  • Total helicopters: 318
  • Total military vehicles: 79,317
  • Total tanks: 295
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 64
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145

Germany has a total population of 84.2 million, of this population 31.0 million are fit to serve in the military.

4. Ukraine

President Of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Visits Turkey
2024 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 900,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 1,200,000
  • Total military aircraft: 321
  • Total helicopters: 130
  • Total military vehicles: 22,110
  • Total tanks: 1,777
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 104
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.2598 – #18 out of 145

Ukraine has a total population of 43.3 million, of this population 15.5 million are fit to serve in the military.

3. France

Bumble Dee / Shutterstock.com
  • Active military personnel: 200,000
  • Reserve military personnel: 26,000
  • Total military aircraft: 972
  • Total helicopters: 447
  • Total military vehicles: 85,023
  • Total tanks: 222
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 128
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145

France has a total population of 68.5 million, of this population 23.8 million are fit to serve in the military.

2. Italy

  • Active military personnel: 165,500
  • Reserve military personnel: 18,500
  • Total military aircraft: 800
  • Total helicopters: 402
  • Total military vehicles: 61,892
  • Total tanks: 200
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 309
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145

Italy has a total population of 61.0 million, of this population 22.2 million are fit to serve in the military.

1. United Kingdom

Getty Images / Getty Images
  • Active military personnel: 184,860
  • Reserve military personnel: 924,000
  • Total military aircraft: 664
  • Total helicopters: 276
  • Total military vehicles: 27,203
  • Total tanks: 213
  • Total navy ships and submarines: 117
  • Military strength score and world rank: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145

United Kingdom has a total population of 68.1 million, of this population 25.1 million are fit to serve in the military.

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