The balance of power in 1914 Europe was a major issue when World War One was declared in August 1914. The major protagonists believed that they held the balance of power when war was declared and the statistics seemed to bear this out if each nation studied its own strengths. Unfortunately, the combination of old tactics and new weapons led to the horrors of trench warfare and all that is associated with it – something the powers had failed to add into their calculations with regards to the balance of power in Europe.
| GB | France | Russia | Germany | A-Hungary | Turkey | |
| Population | 46,407,037 | 39,601,509 | 167,000,000 | 65,000,000 | 49,882,231 | 21,373,900 |
| Soldiers* | 711,000^ | 3,500,000 | 4,423,000 | 8,500,000~ | 3,000,000 | 360,000 |
| Merchant fleet (tons) | 11,530,000 | 1,098,000 | 486,914 | 3,096,000 | 559,784 | 66,878 |
| Battleships | 64 | 28 | 16 | 40 | 16 | |
| Cruisers | 121 | 34 | 14 | 57 | 12 | |
| Submarines | 64 | 73 | 29 | 23 | 6 | |
| Value foreign trade (£) | 1,223,152,000 | 424,000,000 | 190,247,000 | 1,030,380,000 | 198,712,000 | 67,472,000 |
| Steel prod.** | 6,903,000 | 4,333,000 | 4,416,000 | 17,024,000 | 2,642,000 | |
| Railways *** | 23,441 | 25,471 | 46,573 | 39,439 | 27,545 | 3,882 |
* = in 1914 on mobilisation
^ = including British Empire
~ = Emergency maximum figure
** = tons
*** = miles