Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland

Poland: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.3%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
82nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
3.6%
in 1920
All-time low
0.3%
in 2013
Years of data
99
1919–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland, 1919–2022

01234191919702022

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

Analysis

In 2022, military personnel as a share of total population in Poland stood at 0.3%.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Poland peaked at 3.6% in 1920 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2013.

That places Poland 82nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland, 1919 to 2022.
Year % Change
1919 1.2%
1920 3.6% +189.6%
1921 0.9% -73.9%
1922 0.9% -3.7%
1923 0.9% +4.6%
1924 1.0% +1.3%
1925 0.9% -3.8%
1926 1.0% +6.2%
1927 0.9% -10.7%
1928 0.9% -0.2%
1929 0.9% -1.2%
1930 0.8% -3.1%
1931 0.8% +0.8%
1932 0.8% -1.5%
1933 0.8% -1.3%
1934 0.8% -0.1%
1935 0.8% -1.6%
1936 0.8% -0.8%
1937 0.8% +2.1%
1938 0.9% +7.6%
1939 0.8% -11.8%
1945 0.8% +5.1%
1946 0.6% -32.4%
1947 0.7% +28.5%
1948 0.9% +20.2%
1949 1.0% +22.8%
1950 1.3% +26.5%
1951 1.6% +19.8%
1952 1.7% +10.4%
1953 1.7% -1.9%
1954 1.1% -34.6%
1955 1.1% -1.9%
1956 1.1% -1.9%
1957 1.1% -1.7%
1958 1.0% -1.6%
1959 0.7% -34.4%
1960 0.7% -1.1%
1961 1.0% +50.4%
1962 1.0% +0.4%
1963 1.0% -3.4%
1964 1.0% -1.8%
1965 1.0% -1.1%
1966 1.0% -0.3%
1967 1.0% -0.1%
1968 1.0% +0.5%
1969 1.0% -0.1%
1970 1.0% +0.7%
1971 1.0% -0.5%
1972 1.0% +0.1%
1973 1.0% +2.2%
1974 1.1% +10.5%
1975 1.3% +17.7%
1976 1.3% -1.0%
1977 1.1% -15.8%
1978 1.1% +2.3%
1979 1.1% +3.7%
1980 1.1% +1.3%
1981 1.2% +0.6%
1982 1.2% +0.5%
1983 1.2% +0.5%
1984 1.2% +0.9%
1985 1.2% +0.4%
1986 1.2% +0.2%
1987 1.2% -1.0%
1988 1.1% -3.0%
1989 0.9% -18.8%
1990 0.8% -10.9%
1991 0.8% -2.9%
1992 0.7% -11.8%
1993 0.7% -3.9%
1994 0.7% -2.1%
1995 0.6% -2.1%
1996 0.6% -6.1%
1997 0.6% -2.2%
1998 0.6% -0.2%
1999 0.5% -18.7%
2000 0.6% +16.0%
2001 0.5% -3.8%
2002 0.4% -20.9%
2003 0.4% +0.1%
2004 0.4% -6.7%
2005 0.4% -6.5%
2006 0.4% +0.0%
2007 0.4% +0.0%
2008 0.3% -10.6%
2009 0.3% -3.9%
2010 0.3% -18.0%
2011 0.3% -0.0%
2012 0.3% -0.0%
2013 0.3% -4.2%
2014 0.3% +3.2%
2015 0.3% +0.1%
2016 0.3% +0.1%
2017 0.3% -0.1%
2018 0.3% +6.1%
2019 0.3% +12.4%
2020 0.3% +5.2%
2021 0.3% -7.7%
2022 0.3% -0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1920s 1.2% 0.9% 3.6% 10
1930s 0.8% 0.8% 0.9% 10
1940s 0.8% 0.6% 1.0% 5
1950s 1.2% 0.7% 1.7% 10
1960s 0.9% 0.7% 1.0% 10
1970s 1.1% 1.0% 1.3% 10
1980s 1.1% 0.9% 1.2% 10
1990s 0.7% 0.5% 0.8% 10
2000s 0.4% 0.3% 0.6% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 3

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 79 Algeria 0.3% compare
  2. 80 Angola 0.3% compare
  3. 81 Tunisia 0.3% compare
  4. 83 Mongolia 0.3% compare
  5. 84 Slovenia 0.3% compare
  6. 85 Albania 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Poland?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland was 0.3% in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Poland?
The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 1920.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2013.
How does Poland rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Poland ranks 82nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Poland data come from?
The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland. Statizoid, drawing on Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/poland/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major 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

Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.