There are currently 32 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO. This alliance between North American and European countries was formed in 1949 following World War II. Those involved in the organization pledge to uphold democracy and the principle of collective defense: if one ally is attached, all allies come to their aid.
Practically all founding NATO members were engaged in World War II in some way, leading to the alliance after the war’s end. With this coalition, NATO countries can pool their resources and military power to project power where needed. Military strength is not necessarily required to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A few of the countries add very little in terms of military forces, comparatively speaking, to the overall alliance. A handful of militaries across Europe can muster over half a million troops each, if need be, but a large portion of NATO forces come from the United States.
For one, Iceland was a founding member of NATO, but it does not have a standing military, navy, or air force. Instead, this small frozen nation relies on the collective defense agreement within the NATO Alliance should there be any need. However, Iceland does provide aid in other forms, like hosting military units from other nations in its strategic position in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Practically all nations within NATO have a standing army, with needs varying based on a few factors. The United Kingdom, Poland, and France were active participants in World War II, and each saw fit to have a standing force ready at a moment’s notice. Other countries like Turkey are closer to conflict zones and need a force ready to defend their borders.
To identify the NATO countries with the most military personnel, 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. 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.
Why Is This Important?
NATO members work together to manage crises, promote democracy, and resolve disputes peacefully. The group’s hallmark is its principle of collective defense, which speaks to the cooperation encouraged between countries.
Here is a look at the NATO members with the most military manpower.
32. Iceland
- 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
31. Luxembourg
- 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
30. Montenegro
- 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
29. Albania
- 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
28. Slovakia
- 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
27. Belgium
- 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
26. Czechia
- 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
25. Croatia
- 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
24. Slovenia
- 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
23. Bulgaria
- 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
22. Netherlands
- 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
21. Norway
- 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
20. Latvia
- 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
19. North Macedonia
- 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
18. Hungary
- 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
17. Sweden
- Total military personnel: 82,300
- Active personnel: 24,400
- Reserves: 32,900
- Paramilitary forces: 25,000
- Total population: 10,536,338
- Fit-for-service: 3,540,210
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
16. Denmark
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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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