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
Military personnel as a share of total population in Poland, 1919–2022
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
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More population data for Poland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.7516 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6386 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Population density 63.15 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 624,863 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.0% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -0.8441 % change on previous year (2025)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 99 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.