Data / Rankings / Military expenditure / EU countries

EU countries by military spending as a share of GDP

Greece had the highest military spending as a share of GDP of 27 EU countries in 2015, at 2.5% of GDP. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 0.3% of GDP. The median was 1.1% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest2.5Greece
Lowest0.3Luxembourg
Median1.127 EU countries

All EU countries, 2015

CSVChart (SVG)

GreeceGreece: 2.5 % of GDP2.5PolandPoland: 2.1 % of GDP2.1EstoniaEstonia: 2 % of GDP2FranceFrance: 1.9 % of GDP1.9CroatiaCroatia: 1.7 % of GDP1.7CyprusCyprus: 1.6 % of GDP1.6PortugalPortugal: 1.6 % of GDP1.6FinlandFinland: 1.5 % of GDP1.5RomaniaRomania: 1.5 % of GDP1.5SpainSpain: 1.3 % of GDP1.3BulgariaBulgaria: 1.2 % of GDP1.2ItalyItaly: 1.2 % of GDP1.2LithuaniaLithuania: 1.1 % of GDP1.1NetherlandsNetherlands: 1.1 % of GDP1.1GermanyGermany: 1.1 % of GDP1.1DenmarkDenmark: 1.1 % of GDP1.1SlovakiaSlovakia: 1.1 % of GDP1.1SwedenSweden: 1.1 % of GDP1.1LatviaLatvia: 1.1 % of GDP1.1CzechiaCzechia: 0.9 % of GDP0.9SloveniaSlovenia: 0.9 % of GDP0.9BelgiumBelgium: 0.9 % of GDP0.9HungaryHungary: 0.9 % of GDP0.9AustriaAustria: 0.7 % of GDP0.7MaltaMalta: 0.5 % of GDP0.5IrelandIreland: 0.3 % of GDP0.3LuxembourgLuxembourg: 0.3 % of GDP0.3
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2015
% of GDP		Change on 2014
1Greece2.5+0.1 pts
2Poland2.1+0.2 pts
3Estonia2+0.1 pts
4France1.90 pts
5Croatia1.7-0.1 pts
6Cyprus1.6+0.1 pts
7Portugal1.6+0.1 pts
8Finland1.5-0 pts
9Romania1.5+0.1 pts
10Spain1.30 pts
11Bulgaria1.2-0.1 pts
12Italy1.2-0.1 pts
13Lithuania1.1+0.3 pts
14Netherlands1.1-0 pts
15Germany1.1-0 pts
16Denmark1.1-0 pts
17Slovakia1.1+0.1 pts
18Sweden1.1-0.1 pts
19Latvia1.1+0.1 pts
20Czechia0.9-0 pts
21Slovenia0.9-0 pts
22Belgium0.9-0.1 pts
23Hungary0.90 pts
24Austria0.7-0.1 pts
25Malta0.5-0 pts
26Ireland0.3-0.1 pts
27Luxembourg0.30 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 EU countries are compared on one definition. 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 EU country has the highest military spending as a share of GDP?

Greece, with 2.5% of GDP in 2015, according to the World Bank.

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

Luxembourg, with 0.3% of GDP in 2015.

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.

Military expenditure: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings