Poland vs Portugal: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population

Poland
0.5%
in 2020
Portugal
0.5%
in 2020
Poland rank
63rd
Portugal rank
61st

Armed forces personnel as a share of total population over time

  • Poland
  • Portugal
0.40.60.811.2198520022020

How they compare

Portugal currently reports 0.5% against 0.5% in Poland, a difference of 0.0%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Poland ahead.

Poland ranks 63rd and Portugal ranks 61st of 173 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Poland averaged higher in 1 and Portugal in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Poland Portugal Difference Ahead
1980s 0.9% 0.9% 0.0% Poland
1990s 0.7% 0.9% 0.2% Portugal
2000s 0.4% 0.9% 0.4% Portugal
2010s 0.4% 0.7% 0.3% Portugal
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.0% Portugal

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher armed forces personnel as a share of total population, Poland or Portugal?
Portugal, at 0.5% against 0.5% in Poland as of 2020.
What is the difference in armed forces personnel as a share of total population between Poland and Portugal?
0.0%, with Portugal ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and Portugal?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Poland and Portugal rank globally for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
Poland ranks 63rd and Portugal ranks 61st of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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