Special Report

These Are the NATO Countries with the Most Military Manpower

wstryder / Flickr

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is by far the largest military peacetime military alliance in the world. It is composed of over 30 nations, mainly on the European continent. In terms of personnel, a few of the NATO members have some of the largest militaries in the world while others have easily some of the smallest military forces, if any.

The underlying principle of NATO is collective defense. Should a member nation come under attack by a foreign power, then other member nations would come to aid. This principle favors countries with smaller militaries as they are getting more out of the alliance without having to spend much on their own military. (These are the NATO countries not paying their fair share.)

A NATO country like Iceland is a perfect example of this. This frozen nation famously known for not having a standing military in any form, and as such it relies heavily on the collective defense clause of the NATO alliance, should the need ever arise.

On the other hand, the United States spends more on its military than any other nation on the planet. It has bases across Europe to protect its NATO allies, many of whom have standing militaries of less than 100,000 personnel. (These are the greatest armies ever assembled on Earth.)

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the NATO alliance and which countries have the largest militaries in terms of personnel. To identify the NATO countries with the most military personnel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of military personnel. We included supplemental information regarding active personnel, reserves, total population, fit-for-service, paramilitary forces, and overall military strength score.

It should be noted that Sweden has just elected to join the NATO Alliance. This piece was composed prior to this addition, so Sweden will not be listed among these NATO countries. There will be an update in the near future to reflect this new addition.

Here is a look at the NATO countries with the most military manpower:

31. Iceland

patpongs / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 0
  • Active personnel: 0
  • Reserves: 0
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 360,872
  • Fit-for-service: 49,800
  • Military strength score: 3.5038 – #136 out of 145

30. Luxembourg

SvetlanaSF / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 1,000
  • Active personnel: 1,000
  • Reserves: 0
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 660,924
  • Fit-for-service: 91,208
  • Military strength score: 2.1458 – #109 out of 145

29. Montenegro

CatEyePerspective / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 7,850
  • Active personnel: 2,350
  • Reserves: 0
  • Paramilitary forces: 5,500
  • Total population: 602,445
  • Fit-for-service: 85,547
  • Military strength score: 2.9109 – #129 out of 145

28. Albania

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total military personnel: 9,100
  • Active personnel: 6,600
  • Reserves: 2,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 500
  • Total population: 3,101,621
  • Fit-for-service: 1,290,274
  • Military strength score: 1.8188 – #90 out of 145

27. Slovakia

slezo / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 19,500
  • Active personnel: 19,500
  • Reserves: 0
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 5,425,319
  • Fit-for-service: 2,294,910
  • Military strength score: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145

26. Belgium

2007 Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 31,400
  • Active personnel: 25,000
  • Reserves: 6,400
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 11,913,633
  • Fit-for-service: 3,860,017
  • Military strength score: 1.2064 – #70 out of 145

25. Czechia

Chalabala / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 32,200
  • Active personnel: 28,000
  • Reserves: 4,200
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 10,706,242
  • Fit-for-service: 4,079,078
  • Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145

24. Croatia

youngshanahan / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 36,425
  • Active personnel: 14,325
  • Reserves: 20,100
  • Paramilitary forces: 2,000
  • Total population: 4,169,239
  • Fit-for-service: 1,571,803
  • Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145

23. Slovenia

U.S. Department of Defense / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 38,300
  • Active personnel: 7,300
  • Reserves: 26,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 5,000
  • Total population: 2,099,790
  • Fit-for-service: 827,317
  • Military strength score: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145

22. Bulgaria

martin-dm / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 40,000
  • Active personnel: 37,000
  • Reserves: 3,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 6,827,736
  • Fit-for-service: 2,628,678
  • Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145

21. Netherlands

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 53,145
  • Active personnel: 41,380
  • Reserves: 6,765
  • Paramilitary forces: 5,000
  • Total population: 17,463,930
  • Fit-for-service: 6,374,334
  • Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145

20. Norway

ajw1970 / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 63,250
  • Active personnel: 23,250
  • Reserves: 0
  • Paramilitary forces: 40,000
  • Total population: 5,597,924
  • Fit-for-service: 1,836,119
  • Military strength score: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145

19. Latvia

Uldis Zile / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 65,750
  • Active personnel: 17,250
  • Reserves: 36,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 12,500
  • Total population: 1,821,750
  • Fit-for-service: 655,830
  • Military strength score: 1.9911 – #99 out of 145

18. North Macedonia

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total military personnel: 72,500
  • Active personnel: 9,000
  • Reserves: 60,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 3,500
  • Total population: 2,133,410
  • Fit-for-service: 782,961
  • Military strength score: 2.1717 – #110 out of 145

17. Hungary

Jozsef Soos / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 76,600
  • Active personnel: 41,600
  • Reserves: 20,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 15,000
  • Total population: 9,670,009
  • Fit-for-service: 3,722,953
  • Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145

16. Denmark

defenceimages / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 83,000
  • Active personnel: 20,000
  • Reserves: 12,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 51,000
  • Total population: 5,946,984
  • Fit-for-service: 2,117,126
  • Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145

15. Estonia

2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 96,500
  • Active personnel: 7,700
  • Reserves: 78,800
  • Paramilitary forces: 10,000
  • Total population: 1,202,762
  • Fit-for-service: 459,455
  • Military strength score: 1.7237 – #87 out of 145

14. Canada

2020 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 100,500
  • Active personnel: 68,000
  • Reserves: 27,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 5,500
  • Total population: 38,516,736
  • Fit-for-service: 13,403,824
  • Military strength score: 0.3813 – #27 out of 145

13. Lithuania

dvids / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 141,150
  • Active personnel: 23,000
  • Reserves: 104,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 14,150
  • Total population: 2,655,755
  • Fit-for-service: 1,346,468
  • Military strength score: 1.7395 – #88 out of 145

12. Romania

2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 151,300
  • Active personnel: 81,300
  • Reserves: 55,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 15,000
  • Total population: 18,326,327
  • Fit-for-service: 7,807,015
  • Military strength score: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145

11. Germany

ewg3D / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 215,600
  • Active personnel: 181,600
  • Reserves: 34,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 84,220,184
  • Fit-for-service: 30,993,028
  • Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145

10. Spain

ManuelVelasco / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 226,902
  • Active personnel: 133,282
  • Reserves: 15,150
  • Paramilitary forces: 78,470
  • Total population: 47,222,613
  • Fit-for-service: 17,614,035
  • Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145

9. Portugal

mtcurado / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 260,400
  • Active personnel: 24,000
  • Reserves: 211,700
  • Paramilitary forces: 24,700
  • Total population: 10,467,366
  • Fit-for-service: 4,029,936
  • Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145

8. Italy

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total military personnel: 289,000
  • Active personnel: 165,500
  • Reserves: 18,500
  • Paramilitary forces: 105,000
  • Total population: 61,021,855
  • Fit-for-service: 22,211,955
  • Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145

7. France

Gwengoat / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 376,000
  • Active personnel: 200,000
  • Reserves: 26,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 150,000
  • Total population: 68,521,974
  • Fit-for-service: 23,845,647
  • Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145

6. Greece

BalkansCat / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 419,050
  • Active personnel: 142,700
  • Reserves: 221,350
  • Paramilitary forces: 55,000
  • Total population: 10,497,595
  • Fit-for-service: 3,999,584
  • Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145

5. Poland

Kamila Kozioå‚ (Koziolkamila) / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 602,100
  • Active personnel: 202,100
  • Reserves: 350,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 50,000
  • Total population: 37,991,766
  • Fit-for-service: 15,272,690
  • Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145

4. Turkey

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Total military personnel: 883,900
  • Active personnel: 355,200
  • Reserves: 378,700
  • Paramilitary forces: 150,000
  • Total population: 83,593,483
  • Fit-for-service: 3,561,604
  • Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145

3. Finland

wstryder / Flickr
  • Total military personnel: 947,800
  • Active personnel: 24,000
  • Reserves: 870,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 53,800
  • Total population: 5,614,571
  • Fit-for-service: 1,908,954
  • Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145

2. United Kingdom

ikholwadia / iStock via Getty Images
  • Total military personnel: 1,108,860
  • Active personnel: 184,860
  • Reserves: 924,000
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 68,138,484
  • Fit-for-service: 25,074,962
  • Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145

1. United States

  • Total military personnel: 2,127,500
  • Active personnel: 1,328,000
  • Reserves: 799,500
  • Paramilitary forces: 0
  • Total population: 339,665,118
  • Fit-for-service: 123,977,768
  • Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145

 

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