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 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.

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 October of 2025.

In 2024/25, the United Kingdom's defence spending as a share of Gross Domestic Product is estimated to be 2.2 percent. During this time period, the UK's defence spending was at its highest in 1955/56 when 7.6 percent of the UK's GDP was spent on the military. Defence spending has fallen considerably throughout this period, especially after 1984/85, and then at a much faster pace after the end of the Cold War in 1991. It is estimated that defence spending as a share of GDP fell to its lowest level between 2016/17 and 2018/19 when it was just 1.8 percent. Armed forces fall to record lows in 2024 Since the early 1950s, there has been a consistent reduction in the size of the UK's armed forces. The importance of Britain maintaining a large standing army declined following the collapse of the British Empire by the late 1970s, and the end of the Cold War around a decade later. At the start of the 1990s, there were approximately 300,000 personnel in the armed forces, with this falling to 200,000 by 2005. Following a further strategic review of the army's capabilities in 2010, additional cuts to personnel were implemented, with cuts of approximately 50,000 throughout the 2010s. As of 2024, there were 75,320 personnel in the Army, 30,800 in the Royal Air Force, and 32,000 in the Royal Navy and Marines, a total of 138,120 active personnel. The UK and NATO The UK is one of the twelve founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance formed in 1949. NATO's initial purpose was to defend Western Europe against the Soviet Union, with its role evolving to include peacekeeping and counter-terrorism after the end of the Cold War. As of 2025, the alliance includes 32 nations, with just two of these (Canada and the United States) outside of Europe. The United States is by far the largest military power in the alliance, dominating in terms of manpower, equipment, and military spending. Donald Trump's return to the White House in 2025, who has been skeptical of NATO, may prove difficult for the alliance should he distance the U.S. from Europe's security challenges.

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.

The United States led the ranking of the countries with the highest military spending in 2024, with 997 billion U.S. dollars dedicated to the military. That constituted almost 40 percent of the total military spending worldwide that year, which amounted to 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars. This amounted to 3.4 percent of the U.S.'s gross domestic product (GDP), placing the country lower in the ranking of military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, compared to Ukraine, Israel, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. China was the second largest military spender, with an estimated 314 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 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. 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.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for Israel Military Expenditure Percent Of GDP

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 November of 2025.

Actual value and historical data chart for Turkey Military Expenditure Percent Of GDP

Actual value and historical data chart for France Military Expenditure Percent Of GDP

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

Actual value and historical data chart for Netherlands Military Expenditure Percent Of GDP

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.

The Second World War was fought on such a large scale that it became total war in many countries - this is where the war effort is prioritized above all else, and the entire population and economy are mobilized to support all military endeavors. Germany and Japan were committing over 70 percent of their national income to the war effort in its final years.

There were also notable fluctuations that coincided with major events for corresponding powers. These included the UK's mobilization of its defenses in 1940, after Germany took most of Western Europe; the spike in Soviet military spending after Operation Barbarossa in June, 1941; and the U.S. entry into the war following the Pearl Harbor attacks in December, 1941.

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 November of 2025.

Russia: Military spending, percent of GDP: The latest value from 2022 is 4.06 percent, an increase from 3.72 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 1.98 percent, based on data from 145 countries. Historically, the average for Russia from 1992 to 2022 is 3.79 percent. The minimum value, 2.73 percent, was reached in 1998 while the maximum of 5.43 percent was recorded in 2016.

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

Fiji: Military spending, percent of GDP: The latest value from 2022 is 1.4 percent, a decline from 1.6 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 1.98 percent, based on data from 145 countries. Historically, the average for Fiji from 1970 to 2022 is 1.31 percent. The minimum value, 0.19 percent, was reached in 1970 while the maximum of 2.27 percent was recorded in 1989.

Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Thailand was reported at 1.1656 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Thailand - Military expenditure (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.