The average for 2022 based on 145 countries was 1.98 percent. The highest value was in Ukraine: 33.55 percent and the lowest value was in Haiti: 0.07 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in United States was reported at 3.3618 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), Ukraine spent more on its military than any other country in 2024, reaching 35 percent of the country's GDP. The high figure is due to the country being invaded by Russia in February 2022. Israel, that is fighting Hamas in the Gaza war, and Algeria followed behind.Leading military spending countriesIn gross terms, the countries with the highest military spending are the United States, China, and Russia. However, these are countries with large populations and GDPs, and smaller countries usually cannot compete alone, regardless of how much they invest. For this reason, they form alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO countries aim to pool two percent of their GDP towards their own militaries and to aid each other in case of war. Regional differencesThe past decade has seen an increase in global military spending. This has not been distributed evenly. That period saw large positive changes in military spending from several Asian countries, including a large increase from China. While this does not reflect the number of active conflicts, it reflects growing tensions in global affairs.

The statistic represents the U.S. defense outlays from 2000 to 2023 with an additional forecast from 2024 to 2034, as a percentage of the gross domestic product. Defense outlays amounted to 746 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, which was about three percent of the U.S. GDP. The forecast predicts an increase in defense outlays up to 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars by 2033, which would be about 2.8 percent of U.S. GDP.

Israel's military expenditure as a share of GDP reached 8.8 percent in 2024, marking a significant increase from previous years. The surge in defense spending reflects the country's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which began in Gaza in October 2023, and expanded to hostilities in Lebanon, Yemen and Iran by 2025. The financial impact of the war was also apparent in the county's national debt figures, which rapidly increased by 20 percent between the third quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2024. Escalating defense budget amid conflict Israel's military allocation for 2025 has seen a significant increase, nearly doubling compared to 2022. Still, actual defense spending during the year is expected to exceed the approved 109.8 billion Israeli shekels, approximately 31.6 billion U.S. dollars, reflecting the nation's intensified emphasis on military preparedness amidst escalating geopolitical tensions. The bulk of this budget is earmarked for procurement and purchases, totaling around 55 billion Israeli shekels, equivalent to 15.7 billion U.S. dollars. Record-breaking arms exports As Israel ramped up its military spending, the country's defense industries have also reached new heights. In 2024, the value of arms exported from Israel reach 14.8 billion U.S. dollars, marking the third consecutive annual record. Air defense systems were the most popular product category that year, accounting for nearly half of all defense exports. The industry’s robust performance highlights the growing global demand for arms, and Israeli military hardware in particular.

Graph and download economic data for Shares of gross domestic product: Government consumption expenditures and gross investment: Federal: National defense (A824RE1Q156NBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about defense, Shares of GDP, investment, gross, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Belgium was reported at 1.2146 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Belgium - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Japan was reported at 1.1961 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Denmark was reported at 1.9532 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Denmark - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 3.149 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.222 % for 2016. United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 4.864 % from Sep 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.063 % in 1967 and a record low of 2.908 % in 1999. United States US: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.); ; Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.; Weighted average; Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

Georgia: Military spending, percent of GDP: The latest value from 2022 is 1.43 percent, a decline from 1.61 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 1.98 percent, based on data from 145 countries. Historically, the average for Georgia from 1996 to 2022 is 2.65 percent. The minimum value, 0.62 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 9.16 percent was recorded in 2007.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Greece was reported at 3.2344 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Greece - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

In 2025, Poland's defense spending as a share of gross domestic product was **** percent, the highest of all NATO member states, followed by Lithuania at *****percent, and then Latvia at **** percent. It is a target of NATO that every member country should spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense. As of this year, it is estimated that all the alliance's 32 member states would meet this target. The average expenditure on defense expenditure across all NATO member states was **** percent in this year. NATO, Trump, and the War in Ukraine Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shook many European powers out of a creeping complacency that had set in since the end of the Cold War. It led directly to the applications of Sweden and Finland to the alliance in 2022, with the latter joining later that year. The conflict has however also underlined how Europe's security is still underpinned by American military power, with the United States the main contributor of military aid to Ukraine. Furthermore, in overall defense spending, the U.S. spends far more than the rest of NATO combined. The current Trump administration has frequently criticized NATO states that they see as taking advantage of this discrepancy, urging other members to reach and even exceed the two percent threshold. Article 5 triggered in the aftermath of 9/11 While NATO was founded with the aim of deterring the Soviet Union in the Cold War, its central defense clause "Article 5" whereby an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, has only been triggered once; after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. NATO's involvement in the subsequent War in Afghanistan was a direct result of this, with troops supporting the operation from across the alliance. Although NATO's focus drifted towards counter-insurgency, and the threat from terrorism in this period, its original purpose has become far more important recently.

Pakistan: Military spending, percent of GDP: The latest value from 2022 is 2.63 percent, a decline from 2.87 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 1.98 percent, based on data from 145 countries. Historically, the average for Pakistan from 1960 to 2022 is 4.98 percent. The minimum value, 2.63 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 6.99 percent was recorded in 1986.

Graph and download economic data for Shares of gross domestic product: Government consumption expenditures and gross investment: Federal: National defense (A824RE1A156NBEA) from 1929 to 2024 about defense, Shares of GDP, investment, gross, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

Cyprus CY: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 1.825 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.823 % for 2022. Cyprus CY: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 1.920 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.129 % in 1992 and a record low of 1.270 % in 1985. Cyprus CY: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cyprus – Table CY.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Military expenditures data from SIPRI are derived from the NATO definition, which includes all current and capital expenditures on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces; defense ministries and other government agencies engaged in defense projects; paramilitary forces, if these are judged to be trained and equipped for military operations; and military space activities. Such expenditures include military and civil personnel, including retirement pensions of military personnel and social services for personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; military research and development; and military aid (in the military expenditures of the donor country). Excluded are civil defense and current expenditures for previous military activities, such as for veterans' benefits, demobilization, conversion, and destruction of weapons. This definition cannot be applied for all countries, however, since that would require much more detailed information than is available about what is included in military budgets and off-budget military expenditure items. (For example, military budgets might or might not cover civil defense, reserves and auxiliary forces, police and paramilitary forces, dual-purpose forces such as military and civilian police, military grants in kind, pensions for military personnel, and social security contributions paid by one part of government to another.);Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Yearbook: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.;Weighted average;Data for some countries are based on partial or uncertain data or rough estimates.

The average for 2022 based on 42 countries was 1.49 percent. The highest value was in Togo: 5.44 percent and the lowest value was in Mauritius: 0.17 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Israel was reported at 5.3174 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Israel - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Austria was reported at 0.84427 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Austria - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Hungary was reported at 2.1278 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Hungary - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.