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A country's manpower is its stock of men eligible for military service. Manpower is used to recruit and reinforce armies (except mercenaries and some special unit types). A country with exhausted manpower reserves will be crippled in its ability to wage war.
The maximum manpower of a country is calculated as follows:

The base value for every country is +10 000 men.[1] Furthermore:
|
Conditions
|
+500
|
as emperor per member state (excluding free cities) in the Holy Roman Empire[2]
|
+1 000
|
as emperor per free city in the Holy Roman Empire[3]
|
+100
|
as emperor per member state in the Holy Roman Empire after enacting ‘Expand the Gemeiner Pfennig’ imperial reform
|
+200
|
as elector per member state in the Holy Roman Empire after enacting ‘Expand the Gemeiner Pfennig’ imperial reform
|
+100 000
|
as invasion nation[4]
|
+250
|
as Shogun per Daimyo during active ‘Sword Hunt’ government ability [5]
|
−1 000
|
as Daimyo during active ‘Sword Hunt’ government ability of the Shogun[5]
|
+5 000
|
with ‘Municipal Self-Defense’ (tier 5 republic) government reform
|
+2 000
|
for each Governor General's Mansion trade company investment
|
Province manpower is the amount of soldiers each province contributes to the national manpower maximum. It is computed as follows:

Therefore, for example, if base manpower is 1,000 and the local manpower modifiers added up to say 200% and local autonomy say 77%, then the calculation would be:
province manpower = 1,000 x 200% x (100%-77%) or
province manpower = 1,000 x 2 x (1.0-0.77) or
province manpower = 1,000 x 2 x 0.23 or
province manpower = 460
The manpower which is displayed in the province window also includes national manpower modifiers, but these are not actually applied when summing the manpower of all provinces. Instead they are applied after adding the national manpower increases.
Province base manpower in 1444.
Base manpower is determined by the level of military development in a province. Each level of military development adds 250 men[6] to the province base manpower. The starting development level of a province is a preset in the game files[7]. See the economic list of provinces for these values.
The military development level of a province can be increased by spending military points. It can also be modified by a few special events, decisions and missions.
This local modifier is additional to base manpower.
|
Conditions
|
+1 500 |
has Soldier's Households in a province producing grain, fish, livestock or wine
|
+750 |
has Soldier's Households
|
Manpower in true faith provinces[edit | edit source]
|
Traditions
|
Ideas
|
Bonuses
|
Policies
|
+20%
|
—
|
—
|
|
—
|
+15%
|
—
|
- Divine idea 7: Martyrs
- Latin idea 7: Frankokratia
|
—
|
- Divine-Administrative: Omne Datum Optimum
|
+10%
|
—
|
- Religious idea 2: Church Attendance Duty
|
—
|
—
|
|
Conditions
|
+20%
|
being Defender of the Faith of tier IV or tier V
|
+10%
|
|
National manpower modifier[edit | edit source]
Ideas and policies:
Raising new regiments, as well as replenishing existing ones that have lost men due to battles or attrition, will draw men from the manpower pool. Mercenaries do not require manpower to raise or reinforce, but are much more expensive and are only available in limited amounts. All regiment types (infantry/cavalry/artillery) require the same amount of manpower. Nation-specific special units, such as Russian streltsy and Ottoman janissaries, as well as units created through estate interactions, don't cost manpower to raise but do require it to reinforce, with the exception of Manchu banners.
Manpower replenishes over time until it reaches the maximum level. It takes a base time of 10 years[6] to fill the manpower reserves from zero. The monthly recovery rate is:

or 100,[6] whichever is greater.
Manpower recovery speed modifies the recovery rate of province manpower.
|
Conditions
|
+100%.0 |
as invasion nation[8]
|
+50%.0 |
with enabled player or AI bonuses.[8]
|
+20%.0 |
as march[8]
|
+20%.0 |
owning Chichen Itza while province culture is in Mayan group and accepted (only with )
|
+15%.0 |
as Fetishist nation with Cult of Enkai.
|
+15%.0 |
as Catholic nation with Papal action“Proclaim holy war”
|
+15%.0 |
owning Chichen Itza while province culture is in Mayan group and accepted (only with )
|
+10%.0 |
with Landholders Tier 8 Government Reform
|
+10%.0 |
with External Mission Tier 2 Government Reform
|
+10%.0 |
as Orthodox nation with Icon of St. Michael active
|
+10%.0 |
as Coptic nation with the blessing Encourage Warriors of the Faith active
|
+10%.0 |
with parliament and “Support the War Effort” as active issue
|
+10%.0 |
with the temples in power as celestial empire (without )
|
+10%.0 |
with “Parish Registers” aspect as Protestant country
|
+10%.0 |
as Inti country with Organized Recruitment reform.
|
+10%.0 |
owning Chichen Itza while province culture is in Mayan group and accepted (only with )
|
+5%.0 |
for trading in cocoa
|
+0.5% |
for each percentage point of revanchism[8]
|
+0.2% |
for each point of militarization as Prussia
|
+0.1% |
for each point of army tradition[8]
|
−1%.0 |
for each point of war exhaustion[8]
|
−20%.0 |
for having Recruitment Sabotaged [8]
|
−100%.0 |
if bankrupt[8]
|
Ideas and policies:
|
Traditions
|
Ideas
|
Bonuses
|
Policies
|
+25%
|
—
|
- Palawa idea 7: Enduring People
|
—
|
—
|
+20%
|
- Ruthenian traditions
- Rûmi traditions
- Sundanese tradition
|
- Plutocratic idea 7: Emancipation
- Quantity idea 2: The Young can Serve
- Adalite idea 1: Our Infinite Struggle
- Anatolian idea 4: Ghazi
- Cossack idea 1: Escaped Serfs
- Georgian idea 5: Sadrosho Districts
- Golden Horde idea 5: Logistics of the Khan
- Hawaiian idea 5: Kanawai Mamalahoe
- Horde idea 6: Logistics of the Khan
- Iroquois idea 5: Mourning Wars
- Jurchen idea 4: The Borderlands
- Karamanid idea 2: Ghazi
- Liège idea 2: The Wars of Liège
- Northeastern Woodlands idea 3: Bear Clan
- Ottoman idea 2: Ghazi
- Revolutionary French idea 5: Jourdan Law
- Romanian idea 1: Flexible Recruiting
- Swedish idea 4: Indelningsverket
- Zulu idea 2: The Ukubuthwa
|
- Rigan ambition
- Wallachian ambition
|
—
|
+15%
|
- Divine traditions
- Kitaran traditions
- Latgalian traditions
- Lithuanian traditions
- Lithuanian traditions
- Maratha traditions
- Native traditions
- Serbian traditions
- Siouan traditions
- Swabian City-State traditions
- Tyrconnell traditions
|
- Assamese idea 4: Reform the Paik System
- Bayreuther idea 6: Gravenreuther Stift
- Catalan idea 5: Miquelets
- Chagatai idea 2: Ceaseless Border Wars
- Great Qing idea 2: The Green Standard Army
- Hanseatic idea 5: Hanseatic Levy System
- Knights Hospitaller idea 2: Assistance to the Suffering
- Mamluk idea 3: Purchase New Mamluks
- Norse idea 1: Eternal Struggle
- Oirat idea 6: Defiance of the Dzungars
- Ryazan idea 3: Land Charters
- Shimazu idea 2: Satsunan School
- Teutonic idea 2: Recruit Peasants
- Württemberger idea 4: Swabian Circle
|
- Chiba ambition
- Hojo ambition
- Karelian ambition
- Kurdish ambition
- Mexican ambition
- Shan ambition
|
- Administrative-Horde: Steppe Supplies
- Administrative-Quantity: Provincial Taxation System
|
+10%
|
- Albanian traditions
- Ardabili traditions
- Chinese traditions
- Imerina traditions
- Nepalese Princedom traditions
- Nepali traditions
- Rajput traditions
- Ruthenian traditions
- Tupi traditions
- Yaroslavlyian traditions
- Zaporozhian traditions
|
- Aztec idea 3: Telpochcalli
- Bahmani idea 1: Gharbians
- Balinese idea 7: Rivals to Slaves
- Crimean idea 6: Settle the Crimean Steppe
- Eora idea 4: Protect the Ancestral Land
- Great Shun idea 1: Humble Beginnings
- Lunda idea 4: An Army Overnight
- Luxembourg idea 5: The Spanish Road
- Moldavian idea 2: Razesi Peasants
- Nivernais idea 6: Morvan Wet Nurses
- Persian idea 6: Promotion of Irrigation
- Ryukyuan idea 7: The Three Mountains
|
- Highlander ambition
- Tarascan ambition
- Yi ambition
|
- Quality-Exploration: Superior Supply Systems
|
+5%
|
—
|
- Danziger idea 6: Continued Independence
|
—
|
—
|
Estates:
|
Estate
|
+5% - +20%
|
with loyal nobility estate (scaled by influence)
|
+5% - +20%
|
with neutral nobility estate (scaled by influence)
|
−2.5% - −10%
|
with disloyal nobility estate (scaled by influence)
|
+5% - +20%
|
with loyal tribes estate (scaled by influence)
|
+5% - +20%
|
with neutral tribes estate (scaled by influence)
|
−10% - −40%
|
with disloyal tribes estate (scaled by influence)
|
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Manpower. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.
Manpower is one of the three greatest limits on a nation's ability to expand, the others being money and monarch points. As a small nation it accumulates slowly and can be consumed in large amounts by a single unsuccessful battle. Some things to keep in mind to save or conserve manpower are:
- Rebels eat up valuable manpower for no gain. Keeping unrest low, through harsh treatment, is equivalent to trading monarch points for manpower. Other methods of lowering unrest (raising autonomy, hiring an advisor, etc.) trade money for manpower, so balance assets in short supply against those that are more plentiful.
- Once a nation has replenished its manpower pool up to the maximum, any excess manpower is not accrued and essentially lost. Consider raising new regiments, even exceeding the force limit if money is plentiful, in order to stockpile manpower.
- Mercenaries don't cost national manpower, instead they draw from a pool of their own, and they do cost extra cash, but cannot be drilled. In most situations they should not be kept around during peacetime since they cost more. But if you are out of manpower having mercenaries to fight rebels is one way to get your own manpower to grow faster.
- Full strength units do more damage than reduced strength ones. Consider consolidating regiments in an army after a battle but don't do so consistently if the units are only slightly to moderately damaged and may reinforce up to full strength before the next anticipated battle.
- Each regiment in an army (of a particular type) reinforces at the same rate and costs the same to reinforce. The more regiments are below full strength, the faster the army will reinforce, but also the more money you will spend on reinforcing it. So if you need to fill a partial army quickly, it is better not to consolidate early; conversely, if your income is poor and you already have many loans, it may be better to consolidate some to reduce reinforcement costs.
- If shift-consolidating units, decide whether to save the emptied regiments, which can take between 5 and 20 months to completely refill, or disband them and recruit new regiments which will only take from one to three months, but will then need time to recover morale and be moved into place near the war-zone, and will have zero drill and will cost more ducats.
- Unless the manpower pool is at maximum, avoid attrition whenever possible. For short sea voyages, set sail at the beginning of the month as units at sea suffer attrition and it is senseless to lose a month's worth of manpower while sailing between ports that are less than a month apart.
- Also on attrition, sieges are great consumers of manpower. Try to keep only slightly more than the required numbers to hold the siege. Disease outbreak will eat up 10% of a besieging force, so at least that much more is prudent but be prepared to add to the siege force periodically if numbers drop too close to the minimum required to advance it. If you haver mercenaries - you can always let them siege a fort to save your own manpower.
- Having manpower to refill units is, arguably, more important than having a greater force cap. That makes
barracks and training fields more important than regimental camps and conscription centers.