Military profile
Portugal Military Strength
Portugal ranks #41 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 27,000 active personnel. It spent $5.9 billion on its military in 2025 (1.7% of GDP).
Portugal armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 27,000#84 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 211,700#23 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 24,700#48 of 145
- Army personnel
- 15,500#101 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 6,000#68 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 9,000#48 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 104#71 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 28#55 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 27#84 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 37#100 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 24#70 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 82#70 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 5#32 of 113
- Corvettes
- 2#32 of 113
- Submarines
- 2#34 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 20#49 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $5.9 billion#46 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.7%#79 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $432.1 billion#46 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Portugal military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Portugal grew by 54% between 2010 and 2025, from $3.8 billion to $5.9 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 1.7% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Portugal
Branches and forces
Portuguese Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Portuguesa): Portuguese Army (Exercito Portuguesa), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps, aka Corpo de Fuzileiros or Corps of Fusiliers), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) Ministry of Internal Administration: Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública, PSP) , National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana, GNR) (2025)
Personnel
approximately 25,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-30 years of age for voluntary or contract military service for men and women (upper age limit varies by military branch, position, role); no compulsory military service (abolished 2004) but conscription possible if insufficient volunteers available; contract service lasts for an initial period of 2-6 years, and can be extended to a maximum of 20 years of service; initial voluntary military service lasts 12 months; reserve obligation to age 35 (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military's inventory includes mostly European- and US-origin weapons systems along with smaller amounts of domestically produced equipment; Portugal's defense industry is noted for its shipbuilding (2025)
Deployments abroad
the Portuguese Armed Forces have more than 1,100 military personnel deployed around the world engaged in missions supporting the EU, NATO, the UN, and partner nations; key deployments include 225 troops in the Central African Republic under the UN and about 350 troops supporting NATO's forward presence in Lithuania and Romania; it also participates in NATO air policing and maritime patrolling operations (2025)
Good to know
the Portuguese military is responsible for external defense, humanitarian operations, and fulfilling Portugal’s commitments to European and international security; maritime security has long been a key component of the military's portfolio, and Portugal has one of the world's oldest navies Portugal was one of the original signers of the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty) in 1949 establishing NATO, and the Alliance forms a key pillar of Portugal’s defense policy; Portugal is also a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy, and it regularly participates in a variety of EU and NATO, as well as UN deployments around the world; the military’s largest commitments include air, ground, and naval forces under NATO-led missions and standing task forces in the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean Sea; the military also participates in exercises with NATO partners (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2025: 2% · 2024: 1.6% · 2023: 1.3% · 2022: 1.4% · 2021: 1.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Portugal compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | #41 | $5.9 billion |
 Spain | #21 | $40.2 billion |