This information comes from the Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries report, which includes estimated data up to June 12, 2024, starting from 2014.
The head of Poland's National Security Bureau (BBN), Jacek Siewiera, emphasized Poland's standing via a social media post, declaring: "Poland has the third-largest army in NATO! Even if the data from NATO for this year are estimates, Poland becoming the number one army in Europe becomes a fact."
The Polish military currently boasts 216,100 personnel, surpassing all other European NATO members. France follows with 205,700 personnel, then Germany with 185,600, Italy with 171,400, and the United Kingdom with 138,100.
Other notable mentions include Spain and Greece with 117,400 and 110,800 soldiers respectively.
Collectively, the military forces of NATO's 32 allied countries total nearly 3.42 million soldiers; excluding the United States, the number stands at 2.12 million.
The report also highlighted defense spending across the alliance.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last month that 23 of the alliance's 32 members have met the 2014 Wales summit goal of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense.
In 2024, NATO allies are set to increase their defense expenditure by 17.9 percent compared to the previous year, marking the largest increase since 2014, with total spending nearing USD 1.5 trillion (valued at 2015 prices and exchange rates)
Poland leads in percentage of GDP spent on defense among NATO members, though not in absolute spending terms.
For 2024, Poland's estimated defense spending is around USD 35 billion. This is less than the United States, which spends about USD 967 billion, and also less than other major Western European nations such as Germany (USD 97 billion), the United Kingdom (USD 82 billion), and France (USD 64 billion). Italy's spending is comparable to Poland's at approximately USD 34.5 billion.
The report also notes that Poland allocates a significant portion of its defense budget to equipment, with an estimated 51.1 percent of expenditures directed towards this area.
NATO recommends that member countries spend at least 20 percent of their total defense budget on equipment, a criterion that all members except for Canada and Belgium are expected to meet this year.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP
