Data / Rankings / Military expenditure / Countries

Countries by military spending as a share of GDP

Saudi Arabia had the highest military spending as a share of GDP of 155 countries in 2018, at 8.4% of GDP. Panama had the lowest, at 0% of GDP. The median was 1.3% of GDP and the figure for the World was 2.1% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest8.4Saudi Arabia
Lowest0Panama
Median1.3155 countries
World2.1History

Top 40 countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia: 8.4 % of GDP8.4OmanOman: 8.3 % of GDP8.3KuwaitKuwait: 5.2 % of GDP5.2IsraelIsrael: 5.1 % of GDP5.1LebanonLebanon: 5.1 % of GDP5.1AlgeriaAlgeria: 4.9 % of GDP4.9South SudanSouth Sudan: 4.8 % of GDP4.8JordanJordan: 4.6 % of GDP4.6ArmeniaArmenia: 4.1 % of GDP4.1BahrainBahrain: 4 % of GDP4RussiaRussia: 3.7 % of GDP3.7UkraineUkraine: 3.6 % of GDP3.6PakistanPakistan: 3.6 % of GDP3.6AzerbaijanAzerbaijan: 3.5 % of GDP3.5NamibiaNamibia: 3.3 % of GDP3.3United StatesUnited States: 3.3 % of GDP3.3ColombiaColombia: 3 % of GDP3KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan: 3 % of GDP3BotswanaBotswana: 2.9 % of GDP2.9MoroccoMorocco: 2.9 % of GDP2.9CubaCuba: 2.9 % of GDP2.9MaliMali: 2.8 % of GDP2.8SingaporeSingapore: 2.8 % of GDP2.8IraqIraq: 2.8 % of GDP2.8GreeceGreece: 2.7 % of GDP2.7BruneiBrunei: 2.6 % of GDP2.6TürkiyeTürkiye: 2.5 % of GDP2.5UzbekistanUzbekistan: 2.5 % of GDP2.5IndiaIndia: 2.4 % of GDP2.4EcuadorEcuador: 2.4 % of GDP2.4South KoreaSouth Korea: 2.4 % of GDP2.4IranIran: 2.4 % of GDP2.4VietnamVietnam: 2.2 % of GDP2.2MyanmarMyanmar: 2.2 % of GDP2.2BurundiBurundi: 2.1 % of GDP2.1LatviaLatvia: 2.1 % of GDP2.1MauritaniaMauritania: 2.1 % of GDP2.1EswatiniEswatini: 2.1 % of GDP2.1PolandPoland: 2 % of GDP2SerbiaSerbia: 2 % of GDP2
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCountries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Saudi Arabia8.4-1.1 pts
2Oman8.3-0.1 pts
3Kuwait5.2-0.4 pts
4Israel5.1-0.1 pts
5Lebanon5.1+0.5 pts
6Algeria4.9-0.4 pts
7South Sudan4.8+0.8 pts
8Jordan4.6-0.1 pts
9Armenia4.1+0.3 pts
10Bahrain4-0.3 pts
11Russia3.7-0.5 pts
12Ukraine3.6+0.4 pts
13Pakistan3.6+0.2 pts
14Azerbaijan3.5-0.2 pts
15Namibia3.3-0.2 pts
16United States3.30 pts
17Colombia3-0.2 pts
18Kyrgyzstan3-0.1 pts
19Botswana2.9-0.3 pts
20Morocco2.9-0 pts
21Cuba2.90 pts
22Mali2.8-0.2 pts
23Singapore2.8-0.2 pts
24Iraq2.8-1.2 pts
25Greece2.7+0.1 pts
26Brunei2.6-0.2 pts
27Türkiye2.5+0.5 pts
28Uzbekistan2.5n/a
29India2.4-0.1 pts
30Ecuador2.40 pts
31South Korea2.4+0.1 pts
32Iran2.4-0.5 pts
33Vietnam2.2-0.1 pts
34Myanmar2.2-1.2 pts
35Burundi2.1+0.1 pts
36Latvia2.1+0.5 pts
37Mauritania2.10 pts
38Eswatini2.1+0.2 pts
39Poland2+0.1 pts
40Serbia2+0.3 pts
41Lesotho2-0.3 pts
42Republic of the Congo2-1.2 pts
43Tunisia2-0.1 pts
44Estonia20 pts
45Angola2-0.6 pts
46Lithuania1.9+0.2 pts
47Uruguay1.9+0.2 pts
48United Kingdom1.9-0 pts
49Burkina Faso1.9+0.6 pts
50Australia1.9-0.1 pts
51Chile1.9-0.1 pts
52Georgia1.9-0.1 pts
53France1.8-0 pts
54Romania1.8+0.1 pts
55Niger1.8-0 pts
56Sudan1.8-1.5 pts
57Cyprus1.7+0.2 pts
58Sri Lanka1.7-0.2 pts
59Norway1.70 pts
60Guinea1.7-0.1 pts
61Senegal1.7+0.2 pts
62Chad1.7-0 pts
63China1.6-0 pts
64Cambodia1.6+0.1 pts
65Belarus1.60 pts
66Gabon1.6-0.3 pts
67Croatia1.5-0.1 pts
68Bolivia1.5-0 pts
69Honduras1.5-0.1 pts
70Brazil1.5+0.1 pts
71Togo1.5+0.1 pts
72Fiji1.5+0.1 pts
73Bulgaria1.5+0.2 pts
74Zambia1.4+0.1 pts
75Portugal1.4-0.1 pts
76Montenegro1.40 pts
77Finland1.40 pts
78Nepal1.3-0.1 pts
79Central African Republic1.3-0 pts
80Jamaica1.3+0.4 pts
81Thailand1.3-0 pts
82Timor-Leste1.3-0.3 pts
83Italy1.30 pts
84Mozambique1.3+0.3 pts
85Guyana1.30 pts
86Denmark1.3+0.1 pts
87Canada1.3-0 pts
88Egypt1.2-0.2 pts
89Spain1.20 pts
90Rwanda1.2-0 pts
91Kenya1.2-0 pts
92Slovakia1.2+0.1 pts
93Seychelles1.2-0.1 pts
94Netherlands1.2+0.1 pts
95Peru1.2-0.1 pts
96Philippines1.20 pts
97Zimbabwe1.2-0.3 pts
98Bangladesh1.20 pts
99Uganda1.2+0.1 pts
100Germany1.10 pts
101Albania1.1+0.1 pts
102Equatorial Guinea1.10 pts
103El Salvador1.1+0.1 pts
104New Zealand1.1+0.1 pts
105Tanzania1.10 pts
106Czechia1.1+0.1 pts
107Cameroon1.1-0.1 pts
108Tajikistan10 pts
109Sweden10 pts
110Côte d’Ivoire1+0.1 pts
111Belize1-0 pts
112Afghanistan1+0.1 pts
113Hungary1-0.2 pts
114Slovenia1-0 pts
115Somalia1+0.2 pts
116Paraguay1+0.1 pts
117Malaysia1-0.1 pts
118Japan0.90 pts
119North Macedonia0.90 pts
120South Africa0.9-0 pts
121Belgium0.90 pts
122Bosnia and Herzegovina0.8-0 pts
123Kazakhstan0.80 pts
124Austria0.7-0 pts
125Argentina0.7-0.1 pts
126Indonesia0.7-0.1 pts
127Trinidad and Tobago0.7-0.2 pts
128Dominican Republic0.70 pts
129Guinea-Bissau0.7-0.6 pts
130Gambia0.7n/a
131Mongolia0.7-0.1 pts
132Switzerland0.7-0 pts
133Benin0.6-0.3 pts
134Ethiopia0.6-0 pts
135Nicaragua0.60 pts
136Democratic Republic of the Congo0.6-0.1 pts
137Malawi0.6+0.1 pts
138Madagascar0.50 pts
139Nigeria0.5+0.1 pts
140Cape Verde0.50 pts
141Sierra Leone0.5-0.2 pts
142Mexico0.50 pts
143Malta0.4-0 pts
144Luxembourg0.4+0.1 pts
145Liberia0.40 pts
146Guatemala0.4-0 pts
147Moldova0.30 pts
148Papua New Guinea0.3-0 pts
149Ghana0.30 pts
150Ireland0.3-0 pts
151Mauritius0.2-0 pts
152Haiti0.10 pts
153Costa Rica00 pts
153Iceland00 pts
153Panama00 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 10 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2018 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

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

Which country has the highest military spending as a share of GDP?

Saudi Arabia, with 8.4% of GDP in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest military spending as a share of GDP?

Panama, with 0% of GDP in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Military expenditure, % of GDP (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-09. 10 countries have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

Military expenditure: other rankings

Countries: more rankings