As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), Ukraine spent more on its military than any other country in 2023, reaching 37 percent of the country's GDP. The high figure is due to the country being invaded by Russia in February 2022. Algeria and Saudi Arabia 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 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.

As of 2023, the military expenditure share of Lebanon's GDP was about 8.91 percent. In comparison,Iran allocated around 2.06 percent of their GDP for military expenditure for the same year.

In 2023, the military expenditure of Colombia accounted for approximately 2.87 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the highest share in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ecuador is also one of the countries in the region with the highest military budget in relation to its GDP, having spent an estimated sum comparable to 2.3 percent of its GDP on military expenditures.

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.

The United States led the ranking of the countries with the highest military spending in 2023, with 916 billion U.S. dollars dedicated to the military. That constituted over 40 percent of the total military spending worldwide that year, which amounted to 2.4 trillion U.S. dollars. This amounted to 3.5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), placing the U.S. lower in the ranking of military expenditure as a percentage of GDP than for instance Saudi Arabia, Israel, Algeria, and Russia. China was the second largest military spender with an estimated 296 billion U.S. dollars spent, with Russia following in third. Defense budgetAccording to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, the outlays for defense will rise to 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars by 2033. The largest parts of the budget are dedicated to the Departments of the Navy and the Air Force. The budget for the U.S. Air Force for 2024 was nearly 260 billion U.S. dollars.Global military spendingThe value of military spending globally has grown steadily in the past years and reached 2.44 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Reasons for this are the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, the war in Gaza, as well as increasing tensions in the South China Sea. North America is by far the leading region worldwide in terms of expenditure on the military.

In 2024, Poland's defense spending as a share of gross domestic product was **** percent, the highest of all NATO member states, followed by Estonia at **** percent, and then the United States 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 but eight of the alliance's 31 member states were meeting this target. The average expenditure on defense expenditure across all NATO member states was **** percent in 2024, compared with **** percent in the previous 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.

Denmark DK: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 1.174 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.172 % for 2016. Denmark DK: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 1.965 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.042 % in 1963 and a record low of 1.116 % in 2015. Denmark DK: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Denmark – Table DK.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.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: National defense (G160071A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about defense, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

Austria AT: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 0.844 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.769 % for 2022. Austria AT: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 1.135 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.887 % in 1964 and a record low of 0.698 % in 2015. Austria AT: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Austria – Table AT.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.

Azerbaijan Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 4.602 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.800 % for 2022. Azerbaijan Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 3.308 % from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2023, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.465 % in 2015 and a record low of 1.947 % in 1994. Azerbaijan Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Azerbaijan – Table AZ.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.

Israel military spending/defense budget for 2023 was 27.50 billion US dollars, a 17.48% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Israel military spending/defense budget for 2022 was <strong>23.41 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>3.84% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Israel military spending/defense budget for 2021 was <strong>24.34 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>11.57% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Israel military spending/defense budget for 2020 was <strong>21.82 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>7.26% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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).

The average for 2022 based on 40 countries was 2.4 percent. The highest value was in Ukraine: 33.55 percent and the lowest value was in Ireland: 0.23 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, the ratio of military expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States remained nearly unchanged at around 3.36 percent. Military expenditure figures refer to the amount of money spent on a country's armed forces, including peacekeeping and defense operations, among others. When comparing international figures, there may be some inconsistencies depending on what respective countries consider as military spending.Find more key insights for the ratio of military expenditure to gross domestic product (GDP) in countries like Mexico and Canada.

Historical chart and dataset showing Germany military spending/defense budget by year from 1960 to 2023.

The average for 2022 based on 9 countries was 1.84 percent. The highest value was in Burma (Myanmar): 3.05 percent and the lowest value was in Indonesia: 0.7 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Timor-Leste TL: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data was reported at 0.861 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.040 % for 2016. Timor-Leste TL: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 0.660 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2017, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.191 % in 2015 and a record low of 0.361 % in 2011. Timor-Leste TL: Military Expenditure: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Timor-Leste – Table TL.World Bank: 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.

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 Q1 2025 about Shares of GDP, defense, investment, gross, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

The average for 2022 based on 46 countries was 1.63 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.

The average for 2022 based on 12 countries was 4.05 percent. The highest value was in Saudi Arabia: 7.42 percent and the lowest value was in Egypt: 1.06 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.