Military Expenditure by Country
Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP. Latest values for 169 economies.
Among 166 countries, Ukraine has the highest military expenditure at 39.56% and Panama the lowest at 0.00% (latest available readings).
Military Expenditure by Region
Latest available reading (periods may differ by country). Choose a region or “All countries”.
Military Expenditure — All Countries
Sorted by latest value. Click headers to re-sort.
| # | Country | Last | Previous | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ukraine | 39.56% | 33.96% | 2025 |
| 2 | Eritrea | 20.87% | 20.67% | 2003 |
| 3 | Algeria | 8.83% | 7.97% | 2025 |
| 4 | Israel | 7.81% | 8.47% | 2025 |
| 5 | Russia | 7.50% | 6.87% | 2025 |
| 6 | Myanmar | 6.60% | 3.73% | 2024 |
| 7 | Qatar | 6.50% | 6.45% | 2022 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 6.48% | 6.41% | 2025 |
| 9 | Azerbaijan | 6.47% | 5.08% | 2025 |
| 10 | Armenia | 6.09% | 5.46% | 2025 |
| 11 | Oman | 5.68% | 5.59% | 2025 |
| 12 | United Arab Emirates | 5.64% | 6.03% | 2014 |
| 13 | Kuwait | 4.69% | 4.44% | 2025 |
| 14 | Jordan | 4.56% | 4.75% | 2025 |
| 15 | Poland | 4.50% | 3.75% | 2025 |
| 16 | Syria | 4.06% | 4.03% | 2010 |
| 17 | Yemen | 3.97% | 4.08% | 2014 |
| 18 | Mali | 3.87% | 4.25% | 2025 |
| 19 | Brunei | 3.65% | 2.98% | 2024 |
| 20 | Latvia | 3.61% | 3.30% | 2025 |
| 21 | Libya | 3.57% | 2.80% | 2023 |
| 22 | Morocco | 3.54% | 3.44% | 2025 |
| 23 | South Sudan | 3.42% | 6.55% | 2025 |
| 24 | Estonia | 3.37% | 3.30% | 2025 |
| 25 | Burkina Faso | 3.30% | 4.39% | 2025 |
| 26 | Norway | 3.28% | 2.23% | 2025 |
| 27 | Denmark | 3.25% | 2.27% | 2025 |
| 28 | Burundi | 3.24% | 3.56% | 2025 |
| 29 | Colombia | 3.20% | 3.31% | 2025 |
| 30 | Chad | 3.19% | 2.98% | 2025 |
| 31 | United States | 3.12% | 3.43% | 2025 |
| 32 | Turkmenistan | 3.11% | 3.34% | 1999 |
| 33 | Botswana | 3.11% | 2.68% | 2025 |
| 34 | Bahrain | 3.11% | 2.94% | 2025 |
| 35 | Lithuania | 3.08% | 3.14% | 2025 |
| 36 | Singapore | 3.05% | 2.80% | 2025 |
| 37 | Greece | 2.99% | 2.88% | 2025 |
| 38 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.92% | 2.93% | 2025 |
| 39 | Pakistan | 2.91% | 2.73% | 2025 |
| 40 | Cuba | 2.88% | 2.87% | 2018 |
| 41 | Namibia | 2.77% | 2.75% | 2025 |
| 42 | Serbia | 2.76% | 2.67% | 2025 |
| 43 | Mauritania | 2.75% | 2.55% | 2025 |
| 44 | Djibouti | 2.63% | 2.90% | 2008 |
| 45 | South Korea | 2.60% | 2.54% | 2025 |
| 46 | Finland | 2.57% | 2.18% | 2025 |
| 47 | Lebanon | 2.51% | 2.25% | 2025 |
| 48 | Tunisia | 2.49% | 2.50% | 2025 |
| 49 | Uzbekistan | 2.49% | 0.43% | 2018 |
| 50 | 🌐World | 2.48% | 2.44% | 2025 |
| 51 | Sweden | 2.47% | 1.99% | 2025 |
| 52 | Iraq | 2.45% | 2.27% | 2025 |
| 53 | Belarus | 2.40% | 1.98% | 2025 |
| 54 | United Kingdom | 2.35% | 2.44% | 2025 |
| 55 | Central African Republic | 2.33% | 2.60% | 2025 |
| 56 | India | 2.30% | 2.22% | 2025 |
| 57 | Uruguay | 2.28% | 1.96% | 2025 |
| 58 | Romania | 2.28% | 2.17% | 2025 |
| 59 | Germany | 2.27% | 1.84% | 2025 |
| 60 | Timor-Leste | 2.25% | 2.15% | 2025 |
| 61 | Venezuela | 2.23% | 0.45% | 2017 |
| 62 | Netherlands | 2.19% | 1.94% | 2025 |
| 63 | European Union | 2.18% | 1.85% | 2025 |
| 64 | Vietnam | 2.15% | 1.80% | 2025 |
| 65 | Niger | 2.14% | 2.20% | 2025 |
| 66 | Spain | 2.13% | 1.46% | 2025 |
| 67 | Ecuador | 2.10% | 2.31% | 2025 |
| 68 | Iran | 2.09% | 2.22% | 2025 |
| 69 | Hungary | 2.04% | 2.12% | 2025 |
| 70 | Albania | 2.03% | 1.98% | 2025 |
| 71 | Slovakia | 2.03% | 1.98% | 2025 |
| 72 | Guinea | 2.03% | 2.17% | 2025 |
| 73 | France | 2.03% | 2.01% | 2025 |
| 74 | Croatia | 2.02% | 1.86% | 2025 |
| 75 | Euro Area | 2.01% | 1.71% | 2025 |
| 76 | Belgium | 2.01% | 1.28% | 2025 |
| 77 | Bulgaria | 2.01% | 1.93% | 2025 |
| 78 | North Macedonia | 1.97% | 1.77% | 2025 |
| 79 | Uganda | 1.96% | 1.97% | 2025 |
| 80 | Australia | 1.92% | 1.90% | 2025 |
| 81 | Turkey | 1.91% | 1.84% | 2025 |
| 82 | Montenegro | 1.89% | 1.81% | 2025 |
| 83 | Italy | 1.89% | 1.59% | 2025 |
| 84 | Togo | 1.87% | 2.18% | 2025 |
| 85 | Mozambique | 1.87% | 2.12% | 2025 |
| 86 | Kosovo | 1.85% | 1.48% | 2025 |
| 87 | Czech Republic | 1.84% | 1.88% | 2025 |
| 88 | Afghanistan | 1.83% | 1.36% | 2021 |
| 89 | Georgia | 1.75% | 1.59% | 2025 |
| 90 | China | 1.72% | 1.66% | 2025 |
| 91 | Portugal | 1.71% | 1.44% | 2025 |
| 92 | Gabon | 1.66% | 1.53% | 2025 |
| 93 | Lesotho | 1.63% | 1.61% | 2025 |
| 94 | Canada | 1.63% | 1.35% | 2025 |
| 95 | Cyprus | 1.61% | 1.58% | 2025 |
| 96 | Eswatini | 1.60% | 1.54% | 2025 |
| 97 | Senegal | 1.56% | 1.97% | 2025 |
| 98 | Slovenia | 1.54% | 1.34% | 2025 |
| 99 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 1.54% | 1.66% | 2025 |
| 100 | Chile | 1.52% | 1.67% | 2025 |
| 101 | Tajikistan | 1.47% | 1.33% | 2025 |
| 102 | Honduras | 1.46% | 1.48% | 2025 |
| 103 | Cambodia | 1.45% | 1.52% | 2025 |
| 104 | Japan | 1.41% | 1.29% | 2025 |
| 105 | Angola | 1.40% | 1.03% | 2025 |
| 106 | DR Congo | 1.38% | 1.22% | 2025 |
| 107 | Jamaica | 1.37% | 1.39% | 2025 |
| 108 | El Salvador | 1.34% | 1.39% | 2025 |
| 109 | Fiji | 1.33% | 1.31% | 2025 |
| 110 | Sri Lanka | 1.31% | 1.28% | 2025 |
| 111 | Republic of the Congo | 1.31% | 1.23% | 2025 |
| 112 | Philippines | 1.30% | 1.19% | 2025 |
| 113 | Rwanda | 1.29% | 1.23% | 2025 |
| 114 | Zambia | 1.26% | 1.33% | 2025 |
| 115 | Seychelles | 1.24% | 1.27% | 2025 |
| 116 | Bolivia | 1.21% | 1.22% | 2025 |
| 117 | Tanzania | 1.16% | 1.17% | 2025 |
| 118 | Malawi | 1.15% | 1.06% | 2025 |
| 119 | New Zealand | 1.10% | 1.16% | 2025 |
| 120 | Austria | 1.10% | 0.99% | 2025 |
| 121 | Kenya | 1.07% | 1.04% | 2025 |
| 122 | Cameroon | 1.06% | 1.00% | 2025 |
| 123 | Brazil | 1.05% | 0.96% | 2025 |
| 124 | Indonesia | 1.04% | 0.86% | 2025 |
| 125 | Thailand | 1.04% | 1.05% | 2025 |
| 126 | Malaysia | 1.04% | 1.04% | 2025 |
| 127 | Belize | 1.00% | 1.08% | 2025 |
| 128 | Guyana | 0.99% | 0.84% | 2025 |
| 129 | Nepal | 0.97% | 1.02% | 2025 |
| 130 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.94% | 0.98% | 2025 |
| 131 | Sudan | 0.93% | 0.98% | 2021 |
| 132 | Nigeria | 0.91% | 0.56% | 2025 |
| 133 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.90% | 0.90% | 2025 |
| 134 | Benin | 0.89% | 0.78% | 2025 |
| 135 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.89% | 1.04% | 2025 |
| 136 | Mongolia | 0.88% | 0.76% | 2025 |
| 137 | Paraguay | 0.88% | 0.93% | 2025 |
| 138 | Liberia | 0.85% | 0.71% | 2025 |
| 139 | Luxembourg | 0.85% | 0.66% | 2025 |
| 140 | Peru | 0.81% | 0.88% | 2025 |
| 141 | Bangladesh | 0.81% | 0.86% | 2025 |
| 142 | Dominican Republic | 0.80% | 0.81% | 2025 |
| 143 | Ivory Coast | 0.77% | 0.76% | 2025 |
| 144 | Switzerland | 0.76% | 0.70% | 2025 |
| 145 | South Africa | 0.74% | 0.76% | 2025 |
| 146 | Mexico | 0.74% | 1.13% | 2025 |
| 147 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.73% | 0.76% | 2025 |
| 148 | Cape Verde | 0.66% | 0.62% | 2025 |
| 149 | Madagascar | 0.62% | 0.71% | 2025 |
| 150 | Egypt | 0.61% | 0.67% | 2025 |
| 151 | Gambia | 0.57% | 0.60% | 2025 |
| 152 | Nicaragua | 0.56% | 0.55% | 2025 |
| 153 | Zimbabwe | 0.56% | 0.35% | 2025 |
| 154 | Argentina | 0.56% | 0.65% | 2025 |
| 155 | Moldova | 0.56% | 0.60% | 2025 |
| 156 | Guatemala | 0.52% | 0.40% | 2025 |
| 157 | Ethiopia | 0.49% | 0.49% | 2025 |
| 158 | Ghana | 0.48% | 0.35% | 2025 |
| 159 | Malta | 0.45% | 0.37% | 2025 |
| 160 | Kazakhstan | 0.43% | 0.40% | 2025 |
| 161 | Sierra Leone | 0.37% | 0.66% | 2025 |
| 162 | Papua New Guinea | 0.35% | 0.31% | 2025 |
| 163 | Ireland | 0.22% | 0.22% | 2025 |
| 164 | Laos | 0.19% | 0.20% | 2013 |
| 165 | Mauritius | 0.15% | 0.13% | 2025 |
| 166 | Haiti | 0.12% | 0.08% | 2025 |
| 167 | Costa Rica | 0.00% | 0.00% | 2025 |
| 168 | Iceland | 0.00% | 0.00% | 2025 |
| 169 | Panama | 0.00% | 0.00% | 2025 |
Military Expenditure around the world — in simple words
Overview
Military Expenditure is available for 156 economies with recent data. The median value is 1.72% and the simple average is 2.27%.
Highest: Ukraine (39.56%), Algeria (8.83%), Israel (7.81%), Russia (7.50%), Myanmar (6.60%).
Lowest: Panama (0.00%), Iceland (0.00%), Costa Rica (0.00%), Haiti (0.12%), Mauritius (0.15%).
Major economies
Among the 19 major economies tracked here, Saudi Arabia (6.48%) has the highest reading and Mexico (0.74%) the lowest. Their median is 1.92%.
Military Expenditure — Regional Medians
Median of the latest readings of countries in each World Bank region. The median is the middle value — half the countries are above it and half below.
| Region | Countries | Median |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 18 | 1.43% |
| Europe & Central Asia | 47 | 2.03% |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 22 | 0.97% |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 18 | 3.32% |
| North America | 2 | 2.37% |
| South Asia | 4 | 1.14% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 45 | 1.29% |
Understanding Military Expenditure — a simple guide
What it measures
Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP (World Bank, based on SIPRI data).
How it is calculated
Defence spending ÷ GDP × 100 (SIPRI estimates via World Bank).
2.4% means defence spending equals 2.4% of GDP.
A larger share of resources goes to defence.
A smaller defence budget relative to the economy.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
Defence spending is part of government expenditure and can matter for defence-sector companies.
How to read it
NATO members have a 2% of GDP guideline; figures are estimates for some countries.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What does military expenditure measure?
Which country has the highest military expenditure?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.