Hungary corrects military personnel data reported to NATO

The Hungarian Ministry of Defence has submitted significant retroactive corrections to its military personnel numbers to NATO. The new data reveals that the 2023 troop strength was actually 17,600, which is 2,500 fewer than the 20,100 previously reported by the former administration.

This 12.4 percent discrepancy represents the third-largest proportional downward correction among NATO members this year, following Turkey and Finland. The Ministry also adjusted figures for 2024 and 2025, reducing them by 10.5 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively.

The Ministry attributed the decline to the previous government’s “rejuvenation” policies and noted that the transfer of the Military Hospital to the Ministry of Interior in 2023 also contributed to the reduction in the Ministry of Defence’s total personnel count.