As a share of gross domestic product (GDP), Saudi Arabia spent more on its military than any other country in 2021, followed by Israel and Russia. In this group, Japan used the least money on its armed forces.
Leading military spending countries
In gross terms, the countries with the highest military spending are the United States, China, and India. However, these are countries with large populations, 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 agree to pool two percent of their GDP towards their own militaries, then to aid each other in case of war.
Regional differences
The past decade has seen a small increase in global military spending. Of course, 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. These were offset by decreases in the UK and U.S. While this does not reflect the number of active conflicts, it could signal a shift in martial abilities in the coming years.
Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $468 / Year
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
SIPRI. (April 25, 2022). Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/266892/military-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp-in-highest-spending-countries/
SIPRI. "Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021." Chart. April 25, 2022. Statista. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266892/military-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp-in-highest-spending-countries/
SIPRI. (2022). Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 15, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266892/military-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp-in-highest-spending-countries/
SIPRI. "Military Expenditure as Percentage of Gross Domestic Product (Gdp) in Highest Spending Countries 2021." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266892/military-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp-in-highest-spending-countries/
SIPRI, Military expenditure as percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in highest spending countries 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266892/military-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp-in-highest-spending-countries/ (last visited August 15, 2022)