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 2022, at 4% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 0.2% of GDP. The median was 1.6% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest4Greece
Lowest0.2Ireland
Median1.627 EU countries

All EU countries, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

GreeceGreece: 4 % of GDP4LithuaniaLithuania: 2.6 % of GDP2.6LatviaLatvia: 2.3 % of GDP2.3PolandPoland: 2.2 % of GDP2.2EstoniaEstonia: 2.1 % of GDP2.1FranceFrance: 2 % of GDP2HungaryHungary: 1.8 % of GDP1.8CroatiaCroatia: 1.8 % of GDP1.8SlovakiaSlovakia: 1.8 % of GDP1.8RomaniaRomania: 1.8 % of GDP1.8CyprusCyprus: 1.7 % of GDP1.7ItalyItaly: 1.6 % of GDP1.6FinlandFinland: 1.6 % of GDP1.6BulgariaBulgaria: 1.6 % of GDP1.6SpainSpain: 1.4 % of GDP1.4DenmarkDenmark: 1.4 % of GDP1.4PortugalPortugal: 1.4 % of GDP1.4SwedenSweden: 1.3 % of GDP1.3GermanyGermany: 1.3 % of GDP1.3NetherlandsNetherlands: 1.3 % of GDP1.3SloveniaSlovenia: 1.3 % of GDP1.3CzechiaCzechia: 1.3 % of GDP1.3BelgiumBelgium: 1.2 % of GDP1.2AustriaAustria: 0.8 % of GDP0.8LuxembourgLuxembourg: 0.6 % of GDP0.6MaltaMalta: 0.4 % of GDP0.4IrelandIreland: 0.2 % of GDP0.2
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2022
% of GDP		Change on 2021
1Greece4+0.2 pts
2Lithuania2.6+0.6 pts
3Latvia2.3+0.1 pts
4Poland2.2-0 pts
5Estonia2.1+0.1 pts
6France2-0 pts
7Hungary1.8+0.5 pts
8Croatia1.8-0.2 pts
9Slovakia1.8+0.1 pts
10Romania1.8-0.1 pts
11Cyprus1.7-0.1 pts
12Italy1.6-0 pts
13Finland1.6+0.3 pts
14Bulgaria1.6+0.1 pts
15Spain1.4+0.1 pts
16Denmark1.4+0.1 pts
17Portugal1.4-0.2 pts
18Sweden1.3+0.1 pts
19Germany1.30 pts
20Netherlands1.3-0.1 pts
21Slovenia1.3+0.1 pts
22Czechia1.3-0.1 pts
23Belgium1.2+0.1 pts
24Austria0.8-0.1 pts
25Luxembourg0.6+0.2 pts
26Malta0.4-0 pts
27Ireland0.2-0 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 4% of GDP in 2022, according to the World Bank.

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

Ireland, with 0.2% of GDP in 2022.

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