Data / Military expenditure / South Korea

Military expenditure in South Korea

Military expenditure in South Korea was 2.6% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is up 0.1 pts from 2024. That is the 34th highest of 149 countries in 2025.

2025, % of GDP2.6
Change on 2024+0.1 pts
Rank34th of 149Countries ranked
Series high7.21960
Series low2.22004

Military expenditure in South Korea, 1960 to 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

2345678196019701980199020002010202020251960: 7.2 % of GDP1961: 6.7 % of GDP1962: 6.9 % of GDP1963: 4.8 % of GDP1964: 4.1 % of GDP1965: 4.4 % of GDP1966: 4.7 % of GDP1967: 4.7 % of GDP1968: 4.7 % of GDP1969: 4.7 % of GDP1970: 4.4 % of GDP1971: 4.7 % of GDP1972: 5 % of GDP1973: 4 % of GDP1974: 4.5 % of GDP1975: 4.9 % of GDP1976: 5.9 % of GDP1977: 6 % of GDP1978: 6.4 % of GDP1979: 5.5 % of GDP1980: 6.4 % of GDP1981: 6.4 % of GDP1982: 6.2 % of GDP1983: 5.7 % of GDP1984: 5.3 % of GDP1985: 5.2 % of GDP1986: 4.9 % of GDP1987: 4.5 % of GDP1988: 4.3 % of GDP1989: 4.3 % of GDP1990: 4 % of GDP1991: 3.7 % of GDP1992: 3.7 % of GDP1993: 3.4 % of GDP1994: 3.2 % of GDP1995: 2.9 % of GDP1996: 2.7 % of GDP1997: 2.7 % of GDP1998: 2.8 % of GDP1999: 2.5 % of GDP2000: 2.3 % of GDP2001: 2.3 % of GDP2002: 2.2 % of GDP2003: 2.2 % of GDP2004: 2.2 % of GDP2005: 2.3 % of GDP2006: 2.3 % of GDP2007: 2.3 % of GDP2008: 2.4 % of GDP2009: 2.5 % of GDP2010: 2.4 % of GDP2011: 2.4 % of GDP2012: 2.4 % of GDP2013: 2.4 % of GDP2014: 2.4 % of GDP2015: 2.4 % of GDP2016: 2.3 % of GDP2017: 2.3 % of GDP2018: 2.4 % of GDP2019: 2.5 % of GDP2020: 2.6 % of GDP2021: 2.6 % of GDP2022: 2.6 % of GDP2023: 2.6 % of GDP2024: 2.5 % of GDP2025: 2.6 % of GDP
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09, published 2026-10-08.
All 66 values
Period% of GDP
20252.6
20242.5
20232.6
20222.6
20212.6
20202.6
20192.5
20182.4
20172.3
20162.3
20152.4
20142.4
20132.4
20122.4
20112.4
20102.4
20092.5
20082.4
20072.3
20062.3
20052.3
20042.2
20032.2
20022.2
20012.3
20002.3
19992.5
19982.8
19972.7
19962.7
19952.9
19943.2
19933.4
19923.7
19913.7
19904
19894.3
19884.3
19874.5
19864.9
19855.2
19845.3
19835.7
19826.2
19816.4
19806.4
19795.5
19786.4
19776
19765.9
19754.9
19744.5
19734
19725
19714.7
19704.4
19694.7
19684.7
19674.7
19664.7
19654.4
19644.1
19634.8
19626.9
19616.7
19607.2

Rankings

Definition

Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP: current and capital spending on the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces, defence ministries, paramilitary forces trained for military operations and military space activities. World Bank series from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI definition, so values can differ from the NATO defence expenditure figures used for the 2% target.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

What is the military spending as a share of GDP in South Korea?

Military expenditure in South Korea was 2.6% of GDP in 2025, according to the World Bank. That is up 0.1 pts from 2024. That is the 34th highest of 149 countries in 2025.

Where does this figure come from?

World Bank. Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-09.

What was the highest military spending as a share of GDP in South Korea?

7.2% of GDP in 1960, the highest value since 1960 in this series.

More statistics for South Korea

All statistics for South Korea