Military personnel in Poland

Poland: Military personnel was 114,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
114,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
42nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
962,000 people
in 1920
All-time low
96,000 people
in 2013
Years of data
99
1919–2022

Military personnel in Poland, 1919–2022

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M191919702022

Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Poland recorded 114,000 people for military personnel in 2022.

That represents a change of up 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel in Poland peaked at 962,000 people in 1920 and was at its lowest, 96,000 people, in 2013.

That places Poland 42nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 99 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 300,000 people 300,000 people 300,000 people 1
1920s 338,300 people 252,000 people 962,000 people 10
1930s 274,900 people 263,000 people 308,000 people 10
1940s 191,200 people 132,000 people 255,000 people 5
1950s 332,800 people 200,000 people 450,000 people 10
1960s 295,200 people 200,000 people 312,000 people 10
1970s 366,200 people 314,000 people 435,000 people 10
1980s 420,500 people 350,000 people 443,000 people 10
1990s 253,500 people 187,000 people 313,000 people 10
2000s 157,600 people 122,000 people 217,000 people 10
2010s 101,500 people 96,000 people 118,000 people 10
2020s 117,333 people 114,000 people 124,000 people 3

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 39 Cambodia 124,000 people compare
  2. 39 Spain 124,000 people compare
  3. 41 Venezuela 123,000 people compare
  4. 43 Malaysia 113,000 people compare
  5. 44 Angola 107,000 people compare
  6. 45 Sudan 104,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel in Poland?
Military personnel in Poland was 114,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel recorded in Poland?
The highest recorded value was 962,000 people in 1920.
What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 96,000 people in 2013.
How does Poland rank for military personnel?
Poland ranks 42nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Poland data come from?
The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 99 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military personnel
Unit
people
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.