Armed forces personnel, total in Poland

Poland: Armed forces personnel, total was 189,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
189,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
34th
of 173 countries
All-time high
350,000
in 1989
All-time low
118,050
in 2011
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel, total in Poland, 1985–2020

100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k350.0k1985200220201985: 319.0k1989: 350.0k1990: 313.0k1991: 305.0k1992: 270.0k1993: 260.0k1994: 255.0k1995: 302.0k1996: 272.9k1997: 265.1k1998: 264.1k1999: 264.1k2000: 238.8k2001: 228.0k2002: 184.4k2003: 184.4k2004: 162.0k2005: 162.0k2006: 148.0k2007: 142.0k2008: 143.0k2009: 121.4k2010: 121.4k2011: 118.0k2012: 172.7k2013: 172.7k2014: 172.7k2015: 172.7k2016: 178.4k2017: 191.0k2018: 196.7k2019: 189.0k2020: 189.0k

Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Analysis

Poland recorded 189,000 for armed forces personnel, total in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 55.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Poland peaked at 350,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 118,050, in 2011.

Poland ranks 34th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 334,500 319,000 350,000 2
1990s 277,115 255,000 313,000 10
2000s 171,400 121,400 238,800 10
2010s 168,535 118,050 196,700 10
2020s 189,000 189,000 189,000 1

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 31 Eritrea 202,000 compare
  2. 32 Spain 199,000 compare
  3. 33 Cambodia 191,000 compare
  4. 35 Germany 183,000 compare
  5. 36 Israel 178,000 compare
  6. 37 Afghanistan 165,000 compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More public sector data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is armed forces personnel, total in Poland?
Armed forces personnel, total in Poland was 189,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Poland?
The highest recorded value was 350,000 in 1989.
What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 118,050 in 2011.
How does Poland rank for armed forces personnel, total?
Poland ranks 34th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 55.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Poland data come from?
The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel, total
Source
The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
219 places, 6,823 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.