Military Expenditure in the United States increased to 997309 USD Million in 2024 from 916014.70 USD Million in 2023. United States Military Expenditure - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

In 2023, the United States spent around 916.02 billion U.S. dollars on its military. U.S. military spending has been increasing in current dollar terms since 2016. Spending increased dramatically in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the first year of the war, the U.S. had contributed more than 40 billion euros worth of military aid to Ukraine. What military spending entails Military spending in the United States is the part of the national outlays of the Department of Defense. While the department has over two trillion dollars in budgetary resources, its outlays - money actually paid out - are significantly lower. This budget is designated for the four branches of the United States military, and is used for everything from salaries, trainings, development of new military technologies, and new aircraft and weaponry. The high cost of U.S. spending The United States is well known for spending more on its military than any other country. In 2023, it was estimated that per capita defense spending amounted to 2,220 U.S. dollars. While this figure is extremely high, many Americans may find it worthwhile, as a majority believe the United States to be the number one military power in the world.

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.

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 July of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Government: National Defense Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment (FDEFX) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about defense, investment, gross, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

Defense spending in the United States is predicted to increase every year until 2034. Defense outlays in the United States amounted to 891 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The forecast predicts an increase in defense outlays up to 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars in 2034.

This graph shows the defense expenditures of the United States per capita from 1995 to 2024. In 2024, it is estimated that around 2,239 U.S. dollars per capita were spent on military causes by the United States. A ranking of countries with the highest military expenditures can be accessed here.

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

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.

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, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

This dataset provides values for MILITARY EXPENDITURE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Historical chart and dataset showing Virgin Islands (U.S.) military spending/defense budget by year from N/A to N/A.

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, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

In 2023, the military spending of the United States accounted for 37 percent of the total military spending worldwide. In total, the expenditure on the military worldwide was assessed at 2.44 trillion U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the military spending of North America amounted to over 940 billion U.S. dollars. In both East Asia and Central and Western Europe, this figure was over 400 billion U.S. dollars in the same year.

Military Expenditure in Armenia increased to 1418 USD Million in 2024 from 1326.20 USD Million in 2023. Armenia Military Expenditure - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

Military Expenditure in Azerbaijan increased to 3777.10 USD Million in 2024 from 3561.70 USD Million in 2023. Azerbaijan Military Expenditure - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Government consumption expenditures: Federal: National defense (A997RC1A027NBEA) from 1929 to 2024 about defense, federal, consumption expenditures, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

Military expenditure (current LCU) in United States was reported at 916014700000 LCU in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Military expenditure (current LCU) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Military Expenditure in Russia increased to 148967.30 USD Million in 2024 from 109203.60 USD Million in 2023. Russia Military Expenditure - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.