The 2024 military statistical yearbook from the Ministry of Defense reveals that the 1,789 military personnel born in Catalonia represent only 2.7% of the nearly 70,000 members of the Spanish Army. This proportion contrasts sharply with the demographic weight of the Catalan population, which accounts for approximately 16.5% of the state total.

The resulting rate is 22 soldiers per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest in the State, even below the Basque Country, Navarre, and the Balearic Islands. In contrast, regions such as Castilla y León contribute almost 300 military personnel per 100,000 inhabitants, and the rate in Madrid is around 150.

At the provincial level, the regions of Girona (147), Tarragona (144), and Lleida (127) are at the bottom in terms of personnel contribution, only surpassing the province of Soria (124). Barcelona, with 1,371 members, ranks sixteenth provincially, far behind the province of Madrid, which leads the absolute ranking with over 11,000 personnel.

The low Catalan presence is also reflected in deployment destinations. Only 798 of the 69,836 Spanish military personnel (1.1% of the total) are stationed in Catalonia. The majority are located in Barcelona (481), followed by Girona (197), Lleida (85), and, with the lowest figure, Tarragona (35). Furthermore, only one-fifth of those working in Barcelona or Tarragona originate from these territories.