The balance of power within Europe is constantly in flux as new security threats arise and geopolitical landscapes shift. Many European nations are members of NATO, a military alliance with the United Kingdom as a founding member. Historically, the UK has been a key NATO ally, providing significant support to fellow members and often playing a leading role alongside the United States in joint operations. However, the UK is not the only NATO member in Europe, and many other European countries also have powerful military forces. (These are the NATO countries with the strongest militaries.)
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. We also included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power. It is important to note that we have excluded Russia from this list. (These countries were once part of the Soviet Union.)
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics in Europe is important considering the continent’s deeply rooted geopolitical challenges. 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.
These are the strongest militaries in Europe:
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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. f 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
- 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
The Netherlands has a total population of 17.5 million. Of this population, 6.4 million are fit to serve in the military.
10. Portugal
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
The 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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