Data / Rankings / Military expenditure / EU countries

EU countries by military spending as a share of GDP

Poland had the highest military spending as a share of GDP of 27 EU countries in 2023, at 3.3% of GDP. Ireland had the lowest, at 0.2% of GDP. The median was 1.6% of GDP. Source: the World Bank.

Highest3.3Poland
Lowest0.2Ireland
Median1.627 EU countries

All EU countries, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

PolandPoland: 3.3 % of GDP3.3EstoniaEstonia: 3 % of GDP3LatviaLatvia: 2.9 % of GDP2.9GreeceGreece: 2.9 % of GDP2.9LithuaniaLithuania: 2.8 % of GDP2.8HungaryHungary: 2 % of GDP2DenmarkDenmark: 2 % of GDP2FinlandFinland: 2 % of GDP2BulgariaBulgaria: 1.9 % of GDP1.9FranceFrance: 1.9 % of GDP1.9SlovakiaSlovakia: 1.7 % of GDP1.7CroatiaCroatia: 1.6 % of GDP1.6RomaniaRomania: 1.6 % of GDP1.6CyprusCyprus: 1.6 % of GDP1.6SpainSpain: 1.5 % of GDP1.5ItalyItaly: 1.5 % of GDP1.5SwedenSweden: 1.5 % of GDP1.5GermanyGermany: 1.5 % of GDP1.5NetherlandsNetherlands: 1.4 % of GDP1.4CzechiaCzechia: 1.3 % of GDP1.3SloveniaSlovenia: 1.3 % of GDP1.3PortugalPortugal: 1.2 % of GDP1.2BelgiumBelgium: 1.2 % of GDP1.2AustriaAustria: 0.9 % of GDP0.9LuxembourgLuxembourg: 0.7 % of GDP0.7MaltaMalta: 0.4 % of GDP0.4IrelandIreland: 0.2 % of GDP0.2
% of GDP. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2023
% of GDP		Change on 2022
1Poland3.3+1.1 pts
2Estonia3+0.8 pts
3Latvia2.9+0.7 pts
4Greece2.9-1.1 pts
5Lithuania2.8+0.3 pts
6Hungary2+0.2 pts
7Denmark2+0.6 pts
8Finland2+0.4 pts
9Bulgaria1.9+0.4 pts
10France1.9-0 pts
11Slovakia1.7-0 pts
12Croatia1.6-0.2 pts
13Romania1.6-0.1 pts
14Cyprus1.6-0.1 pts
15Spain1.5+0.1 pts
16Italy1.5-0.1 pts
17Sweden1.5+0.2 pts
18Germany1.5+0.2 pts
19Netherlands1.4+0.1 pts
20Czechia1.30 pts
21Slovenia1.30 pts
22Portugal1.2-0.1 pts
23Belgium1.20 pts
24Austria0.9+0.1 pts
25Luxembourg0.7+0.1 pts
26Malta0.4-0 pts
27Ireland0.20 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?

Poland, with 3.3% of GDP in 2023, 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 2023.

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