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 2018, at 2.7% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 0.3% of GDP. The median was 1.3% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest2.7Greece
Lowest0.3Ireland
Median1.327 EU countries

All EU countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

GreeceGreece: 2.7 % of GDP2.7LatviaLatvia: 2.1 % of GDP2.1PolandPoland: 2 % of GDP2EstoniaEstonia: 2 % of GDP2LithuaniaLithuania: 1.9 % of GDP1.9FranceFrance: 1.8 % of GDP1.8RomaniaRomania: 1.8 % of GDP1.8CyprusCyprus: 1.7 % of GDP1.7CroatiaCroatia: 1.5 % of GDP1.5BulgariaBulgaria: 1.5 % of GDP1.5PortugalPortugal: 1.4 % of GDP1.4FinlandFinland: 1.4 % of GDP1.4ItalyItaly: 1.3 % of GDP1.3DenmarkDenmark: 1.3 % of GDP1.3SpainSpain: 1.2 % of GDP1.2SlovakiaSlovakia: 1.2 % of GDP1.2NetherlandsNetherlands: 1.2 % of GDP1.2GermanyGermany: 1.1 % of GDP1.1CzechiaCzechia: 1.1 % of GDP1.1SwedenSweden: 1 % of GDP1HungaryHungary: 1 % of GDP1SloveniaSlovenia: 1 % of GDP1BelgiumBelgium: 0.9 % of GDP0.9AustriaAustria: 0.7 % of GDP0.7MaltaMalta: 0.4 % of GDP0.4LuxembourgLuxembourg: 0.4 % of GDP0.4IrelandIreland: 0.3 % of GDP0.3
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018
% of GDP		Change on 2017
1Greece2.7+0.1 pts
2Latvia2.1+0.5 pts
3Poland2+0.1 pts
4Estonia20 pts
5Lithuania1.9+0.2 pts
6France1.8-0 pts
7Romania1.8+0.1 pts
8Cyprus1.7+0.2 pts
9Croatia1.5-0.1 pts
10Bulgaria1.5+0.2 pts
11Portugal1.4-0.1 pts
12Finland1.40 pts
13Italy1.30 pts
14Denmark1.3+0.1 pts
15Spain1.20 pts
16Slovakia1.2+0.1 pts
17Netherlands1.2+0.1 pts
18Germany1.10 pts
19Czechia1.1+0.1 pts
20Sweden10 pts
21Hungary1-0.2 pts
22Slovenia1-0 pts
23Belgium0.90 pts
24Austria0.7-0 pts
25Malta0.4-0 pts
26Luxembourg0.4+0.1 pts
27Ireland0.3-0 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 2.7% of GDP in 2018, according to the World Bank.

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

Ireland, with 0.3% 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.

Military expenditure: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings