Maps of countries by military expenditure

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World military expenditure is measured to have been nearly two trillion dollars in 2019, the highest level since 1988, and it continues to grow.

Global military spending increased in each of the five years from 2015, has declined firmly from 2011 until 2014 following the world financial crisis.

The Biggest Military Budgets

According to the World Bank, the U.S. spends far more on its army than any other nation on the planet. The summarized defense spending budgets of China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil yet don’t compare to the army spending allowance of the U.S.

United States spends about 649 billion U.S. dollars per year, representing one-third of global military spending.

China was the world’s second-biggest military spender, estimating 14 percent of total global military expenditure.

The 20 countries with the highest military budgets ($ billions)

1. United States: 648.80
2. China: 203.60
3. Saudi Arabia: 67.55
4. India: 66.51
5. France: 63.80
6. Russia: 61.39
7. United Kingdom: 50.00
8. Germany: 49.47
9. Japan: 46.62
10. South Korea: 43.07
11. Italy: 27.81
12. Brazil: 27.77
13. Australia: 26.71
14. United Arab Emirates: 22.76
15. Canada: 21.62
16. Turkey: 18.97
17. Spain: 18.25
18. Israel: 15.95
19. Iran: 13.19
20. Poland: 11.60

Countries by military expenditure per capita

Military spending per capita increased from $243 in 2018 to $249 in 2019, as the 1.1% increase in the planet population was exceeded by the growth in army spending.

Middle Eastern nations with smaller populations end up footing a big per-person defense expenditure bill.

The 20 countries with the highest military expenditure per capita ($)

1. United Arab Emirates: 2363
2. Saudi Arabia: 2005
3. United States: 1986
4. Singapore: 1923
5. Israel: 1795
6. Kuwait: 1764
7. Oman: 1389
8. Norway: 1330
9. Australia: 1069
10. France: 953
11. Bahrain: 890
12. South Korea: 835
13. Brunei: 808
14. United Kingdom: 752
15. Denmark: 730
16. Finland: 698
17. Luxembourg: 690
18. Qatar: 675
19. Netherlands: 652
20. Germany: 597

Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP

The global military expenditure as a share of world GDP in 2019 was 2.2%.

Middle East countries continue to lead the globe. Across the region, Middle East nations contribute more than five percent of their GDP to weaponry.

The 20 countries with the highest military expenditure as a percentage of GDP

1. Saudi Arabia: 8.59
2. Oman: 8.46
3. Eritrea: 6.96
4. Yemen: 6.37
5. Syria: 6.17
6. Algeria: 5.52
7. United Arab Emirates: 5.49
8. Kuwait: 5.19
9. Lebanon: 4.90
10. Armenia: 4.90
11. Jordan: 4.64
12. Israel: 4.30
13. Russia: 3.70
14. Bahrain: 3.70
15. Azerbaijan: 3.64
16. Ukraine: 3.63
17. Pakistan: 3.61
18. Colombia: 3.20
19. United States: 3.16
20. Morocco: 3.14

Countries by military expenditures per square kilometre

The map below illustrates the costs of defending territories of different countries.

Singapore has the highest military expenditure per square kilometer among all countries of the world.

The 20 countries with the highest military expenditure per square kilometer ($ million)

1. Singapore: 18.02
2. Niue: 8.49
3. Bahrain: 2.04
4. Israel: 0.77
5. South Korea: 0.43
6. Kuwait: 0.42
7. United Arab Emirates: 0.32
8. Netherlands: 0.32
9. Lebanon: 0.27
10. Malta: 0.21
11. United Kingdom: 0.20
12. Qatar: 0.16
13. Belgium: 0.16
14. Luxembourg: 0.16
15. Germany: 0.14
16. Japan: 0.12
17. France: 0.12
18. Switzerland: 0.12
19. Denmark: 0.09
20. Italy: 0.09