24/7 Wall St. Insights
- 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower to determine the countries with the strongest military might in Europe.
- Despite its smaller size, the United Kingdom is one of the most powerful militaries on the continent.
- Also see: Discover “The Next NVIDIA”
Poland has goals of increasing its military might with the hopes of becoming the strongest military in Europe. According to Euronews, this European nation’s military is upping its defense spending and has plans to increase its vehicles, equipment, and personnel. Today, Poland falls within the top 10 strongest European militaries, but it’s not anywhere near number one. (These are the most powerful militaries in the world.) Which European country has the most powerful military? Let’s find out.
Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look into the military powers in Europe. To determine the countries with the strongest military might in Europe, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 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.
Despite its smaller size, the United Kingdom is one of the most powerful militaries on the continent. With nuclear capabilities and powerful aircraft carriers, this island nation boasts one of the largest and most advanced fighting forces in the region.
Beyond the size of military fleets and advanced technology, military alliances such as NATO play a part in the military strength of a nation. Although not every European nation is a part of NATO, the ones that do have considerable military support. Interestingly, Iceland has no military but relies on the collective defense agreement of NATO should they need protection. (These are the countries with the most military expenditures.)
Here is a look at the European countries with the strongest militaries:
Why Are We Covering This?
The military might of most European countries comes from their historical involvement in World War II. This would ultimately shape how Europe looks today and much of the geopolitical relationships within the region. Each of these nations has its own strengths and weaknesses, most of these arising from geography, national industry, and military alliances.
38. Moldova
- Military strength score: 4.2311
- Active military personnel: 8,500
- Total military aircraft: 3
- Total military vehicles: 450
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
37. Iceland
- Military strength score: 3.5038
- Active military personnel: 0
- Total military aircraft: 0
- Total military vehicles: 175
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
36. Kosovo
- Military strength score: 3.4115
- Active military personnel: 10,000
- Total military aircraft: 0
- Total military vehicles: 922
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
35. Montenegro
- Military strength score: 2.9109
- Active military personnel: 2,350
- Total military aircraft: 11
- Total military vehicles: 662
- Total navy ships and submarines: 13
34. Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Military strength score: 2.3996
- Active military personnel: 12,770
- Total military aircraft: 24
- Total military vehicles: 450
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
33. North Macedonia
- Military strength score: 2.1717
- Active military personnel: 9,000
- Total military aircraft: 20
- Total military vehicles: 2,156
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
32. Luxembourg
- Military strength score: 2.1458
- Active military personnel: 1,000
- Total military aircraft: 1
- Total military vehicles: 180
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
31. Latvia
- Military strength score: 1.9911
- Active military personnel: 17,250
- Total military aircraft: 7
- Total military vehicles: 1,544
- Total navy ships and submarines: 18
30. Ireland
- Military strength score: 1.8779
- Active military personnel: 7,765
- Total military aircraft: 25
- Total military vehicles: 1,064
- Total navy ships and submarines: 6
29. Slovenia
- Military strength score: 1.8286
- Active military personnel: 7,300
- Total military aircraft: 38
- Total military vehicles: 1,502
- Total navy ships and submarines: 2
28. Albania
- Military strength score: 1.8188
- Active military personnel: 6,600
- Total military aircraft: 19
- Total military vehicles: 976
- Total navy ships and submarines: 19
27. Lithuania
- Military strength score: 1.7395
- Active military personnel: 23,000
- Total military aircraft: 9
- Total military vehicles: 1,356
- Total navy ships and submarines: 11
26. Estonia
- Military strength score: 1.7237
- Active military personnel: 7,700
- Total military aircraft: 7
- Total military vehicles: 1,409
- Total navy ships and submarines: 10
25. Austria
- Military strength score: 1.2351
- Active military personnel: 16,000
- Total military aircraft: 104
- Total military vehicles: 848
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
24. Belgium
- Military strength score: 1.2064
- Active military personnel: 25,000
- Total military aircraft: 110
- Total military vehicles: 4,606
- Total navy ships and submarines: 9
23. Slovakia
- Military strength score: 1.1891
- Active military personnel: 19,500
- Total military aircraft: 37
- Total military vehicles: 2,048
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
22. Croatia
- Military strength score: 1.1333
- Active military personnel: 14,325
- Total military aircraft: 81
- Total military vehicles: 3,076
- Total navy ships and submarines: 32
21. Belarus
- Military strength score: 1.0901
- Active military personnel: 63,000
- Total military aircraft: 183
- Total military vehicles: 6,700
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
20. Bulgaria
- Military strength score: 1.0132
- Active military personnel: 37,000
- Total military aircraft: 65
- Total military vehicles: 7,420
- Total navy ships and submarines: 40
19. Serbia
- Military strength score: 0.9038
- Active military personnel: 25,000
- Total military aircraft: 112
- Total military vehicles: 3,954
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
18. Hungary
- Military strength score: 0.8478
- Active military personnel: 41,600
- Total military aircraft: 62
- Total military vehicles: 7,797
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
17. Finland
- Military strength score: 0.7967
- Active military personnel: 24,000
- Total military aircraft: 164
- Total military vehicles: 11,716
- Total navy ships and submarines: 246
16. Denmark
- Military strength score: 0.7743
- Active military personnel: 20,000
- Total military aircraft: 119
- Total military vehicles: 4,056
- Total navy ships and submarines: 91
15. Romania
- Military strength score: 0.7712
- Active military personnel: 81,300
- Total military aircraft: 131
- Total military vehicles: 9,990
- Total navy ships and submarines: 20
14. Czechia
- Military strength score: 0.7706
- Active military personnel: 28,000
- Total military aircraft: 88
- Total military vehicles: 6,757
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
13. Switzerland
- Military strength score: 0.6097
- Active military personnel: 101,584
- Total military aircraft: 147
- Total military vehicles: 4,304
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
12. Norway
- Military strength score: 0.5664
- Active military personnel: 23,250
- Total military aircraft: 102
- Total military vehicles: 7,048
- Total navy ships and submarines: 25
11. Netherlands
- Military strength score: 0.5644
- Active military personnel: 41,380
- Total military aircraft: 143
- Total military vehicles: 3,176
- Total navy ships and submarines: 112
10. Portugal
- Military strength score: 0.5609
- Active military personnel: 24,000
- Total military aircraft: 117
- Total military vehicles: 11,173
- Total navy ships and submarines: 113
9. Greece
- Military strength score: 0.4349
- Active military personnel: 142,700
- Total military aircraft: 632
- Total military vehicles: 57,030
- Total navy ships and submarines: 187
8. Sweden
- Military strength score: 0.4009
- Active military personnel: 24,400
- Total military aircraft: 212
- Total military vehicles: 7,958
- Total navy ships and submarines: 353
7. Poland
- Military strength score: 0.2917
- Active military personnel: 202,100
- Total military aircraft: 468
- Total military vehicles: 13,956
- Total navy ships and submarines: 45
6. Spain
- Military strength score: 0.2882
- Active military personnel: 133,282
- Total military aircraft: 513
- Total military vehicles: 15,046
- Total navy ships and submarines: 168
5. Germany
- Military strength score: 0.2847
- Active military personnel: 181,600
- Total military aircraft: 618
- Total military vehicles: 79,317
- Total navy ships and submarines: 64
4. Ukraine
- Military strength score: 0.2598
- Active military personnel: 900,000
- Total military aircraft: 321
- Total military vehicles: 22,110
- Total navy ships and submarines: 104
3. France
- Military strength score: 0.1878
- Active military personnel: 200,000
- Total military aircraft: 972
- Total military vehicles: 85,023
- Total navy ships and submarines: 128
2. Italy
- Military strength score: 0.1863
- Active military personnel: 165,500
- Total military aircraft: 800
- Total military vehicles: 61,892
- Total navy ships and submarines: 309
1. United Kingdom
- Military strength score: 0.1443
- Active military personnel: 184,860
- Total military aircraft: 664
- Total military vehicles: 27,203
- Total navy ships and submarines: 117
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