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🎖️ Military share of government spending by country
Which country spends the most on its military?
The largest military share of government spending in the world: 1. Ukraine (54%), 2. Belarus (50.7%), 3. Myanmar (29.1%).
The middle of the table sits at 5.4% (Congo, no. 74 of 147), which is the figure to measure the top against.
The top 10
- 🇺🇦Ukraine 54%
- 🇧🇾Belarus 50.7%
- 🇲🇲Myanmar 29.1%
- 🇶🇦Qatar 26.9%
- 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 22.3%
- 🇸🇴Somalia 21.6%
- 🇩🇿Algeria 21.4%
- 🇴🇲Oman 20.1%
- 🇸🇬Singapore 20.1%
- 🇮🇱Israel 20%
Which country spends the least on its military?
The smallest military share of government spending in this table, from the very last row upwards: Mauritius (0.5%), then Ireland (1%) and Malta (1.3%).
The bottom 10
- 147th 🇲🇺Mauritius 0.5%
- 146th 🇮🇪Ireland 1%
- 145th 🇲🇹Malta 1.3%
- 144th 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 1.3%
- 143rd 🇿🇼Zimbabwe 1.3%
- 142nd 🇲🇩Moldova 1.6%
- 141st 🇭🇹Haiti 1.6%
- 140th 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.7%
- 139th 🇬🇭Ghana 1.8%
- 138th 🇦🇹Austria 1.9%
The same ranking, as a map
Highest and lowest by region
The same table split by continent. Each row gives how many countries on that continent are ranked, and the extremes at both ends of it, which is the comparison a world table ordered by rank hides: a continent's floor is often above another's ceiling. Continents with fewer than three ranked countries are left out, so the counts need not add up to the whole table.
| Region | Ranked | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 38 | 🇺🇦Ukraine 54% | 🇮🇪Ireland 1% |
| Asia | 37 | 🇲🇲Myanmar 29.1% | 🇰🇿Kazakhstan 1.9% |
| Africa | 47 | 🇸🇴Somalia 21.6% | 🇲🇺Mauritius 0.5% |
| North America | 11 | 🇺🇸United States 9.1% | 🇭🇹Haiti 1.6% |
| South America | 10 | 🇨🇴Colombia 10.1% | 🇦🇷Argentina 1.9% |
| Oceania | 4 | 🇦🇺Australia 5% | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 1.3% |
The full ranking of all 147 countries
| # | Country | Defence budget |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇦Ukraine | 54% |
| 2 | 🇧🇾Belarus | 50.7% |
| 3 | 🇲🇲Myanmar | 29.1% |
| 4 | 🇶🇦Qatar | 26.9% |
| 5 | 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia | 22.3% |
| 6 | 🇸🇴Somalia | 21.6% |
| 7 | 🇩🇿Algeria | 21.4% |
| 8 | 🇴🇲Oman | 20.1% |
| 9 | 🇸🇬Singapore | 20.1% |
| 10 | 🇮🇱Israel | 20% |
| 11 | 🇷🇺Russia | 18.9% |
| 12 | 🇦🇲Armenia | 18.3% |
| 13 | 🇹🇩Chad | 17.2% |
| 14 | 🇧🇫Burkina Faso | 17% |
| 15 | 🇲🇱Mali | 16.6% |
| 16 | 🇦🇿Azerbaijan | 15.2% |
| 17 | 🇯🇴Jordan | 14.4% |
| 18 | 🇨🇫Central African Republic | 14.1% |
| 19 | 🇵🇰Pakistan | 13.8% |
| 20 | 🇳🇪Niger | 13.8% |
| 21 | 🇬🇳Guinea | 12.8% |
| 22 | 🇮🇷Iran | 12.6% |
| 23 | 🇧🇮Burundi | 12.5% |
| 24 | 🇧🇳Brunei | 12.1% |
| 25 | 🇰🇷South Korea | 11.3% |
| 26 | 🇺🇿Uzbekistan | 11.1% |
| 27 | 🇲🇦Morocco | 10.7% |
| 28 | 🇦🇫Afghanistan | 10.3% |
| 29 | 🇧🇭Bahrain | 10.2% |
| 30 | 🇨🇴Colombia | 10.1% |
| 31 | 🇺🇬Uganda | 10.1% |
| 32 | 🇰🇼Kuwait | 9.7% |
| 33 | 🇲🇷Mauritania | 9.6% |
| 34 | 🇸🇩Sudan | 9.5% |
| 35 | 🇺🇸United States | 9.1% |
| 36 | 🇱🇧Lebanon | 8.9% |
| 37 | 🇻🇳Vietnam | 8.8% |
| 38 | 🇰🇭Cambodia | 8.8% |
| 39 | 🇵🇱Poland | 8.5% |
| 40 | 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan | 8.4% |
| 41 | 🇹🇬Togo | 8.4% |
| 42 | 🇸🇸South Sudan | 8.2% |
| 43 | 🇧🇼Botswana | 8% |
| 44 | 🇱🇹Lithuania | 7.9% |
| 45 | 🇮🇳India | 7.6% |
| 46 | 🇪🇪Estonia | 7.5% |
| 47 | 🇱🇻Latvia | 7.5% |
| 48 | 🇹🇳Tunisia | 7.3% |
| 49 | 🇱🇰Sri Lanka | 7.3% |
| 50 | 🇨🇩DR Congo | 7.1% |
| 51 | 🇳🇦Namibia | 7.1% |
| 52 | 🇪🇹Ethiopia | 6.9% |
| 53 | 🇧🇩Bangladesh | 6.9% |
| 54 | 🇺🇾Uruguay | 6.8% |
| 55 | 🇦🇱Albania | 6.6% |
| 56 | 🇬🇷Greece | 6.6% |
| 57 | 🇬🇦Gabon | 6.6% |
| 58 | 🇹🇯Tajikistan | 6.2% |
| 59 | 🇲🇿Mozambique | 6.1% |
| 60 | 🇨🇲Cameroon | 6.1% |
| 61 | 🇹🇿Tanzania | 6.1% |
| 62 | 🇬🇪Georgia | 6.1% |
| 63 | 🇷🇸Serbia | 6.1% |
| 64 | 🇷🇴Romania | 5.8% |
| 65 | 🇨🇱Chile | 5.8% |
| 66 | 🇭🇳Honduras | 5.8% |
| 67 | 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau | 5.8% |
| 68 | 🇲🇰North Macedonia | 5.6% |
| 69 | 🇧🇬Bulgaria | 5.5% |
| 70 | 🇪🇨Ecuador | 5.5% |
| 71 | 🇱🇾Libya | 5.5% |
| 72 | 🇵🇭Philippines | 5.4% |
| 73 | 🇸🇳Senegal | 5.4% |
| 74 | 🇨🇬Congo | 5.4% |
| 75 | 🇬🇧United Kingdom | 5.3% |
| 76 | 🇨🇳China | 5.1% |
| 77 | 🇩🇰Denmark | 5.1% |
| 78 | 🇦🇺Australia | 5% |
| 79 | 🇦🇴Angola | 4.9% |
| 80 | 🇮🇶Iraq | 4.9% |
| 81 | 🇿🇲Zambia | 4.8% |
| 82 | 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea | 4.7% |
| 83 | 🇮🇩Indonesia | 4.6% |
| 84 | 🇹🇭Thailand | 4.5% |
| 85 | 🇳🇴Norway | 4.5% |
| 86 | 🇲🇾Malaysia | 4.5% |
| 87 | 🇵🇾Paraguay | 4.5% |
| 88 | 🇭🇺Hungary | 4.4% |
| 89 | 🇰🇪Kenya | 4.4% |
| 90 | 🇳🇱Netherlands | 4.3% |
| 91 | 🇨🇿Czechia | 4.3% |
| 92 | 🇸🇰Slovakia | 4.3% |
| 93 | 🇫🇯Fiji | 4.3% |
| 94 | 🇲🇬Madagascar | 4.2% |
| 95 | 🇷🇼Rwanda | 4.2% |
| 96 | 🇨🇾Cyprus | 4.2% |
| 97 | 🇲🇪Montenegro | 4.2% |
| 98 | 🇸🇪Sweden | 4.1% |
| 99 | 🇳🇵Nepal | 4.1% |
| 100 | 🇯🇲Jamaica | 4.1% |
| 101 | 🇵🇪Peru | 4.1% |
| 102 | 🇫🇮Finland | 4.1% |
| 103 | 🇩🇴Dominican Republic | 4% |
| 104 | 🇩🇪Germany | 3.9% |
| 105 | 🇸🇻El Salvador | 3.8% |
| 106 | 🇧🇯Benin | 3.8% |
| 107 | 🇧🇿Belize | 3.8% |
| 108 | 🇭🇷Croatia | 3.8% |
| 109 | 🇧🇴Bolivia | 3.7% |
| 110 | 🇬🇾Guyana | 3.7% |
| 111 | 🇨🇮Ivory Coast | 3.7% |
| 112 | 🇫🇷France | 3.6% |
| 113 | 🇵🇹Portugal | 3.6% |
| 114 | 🇲🇼Malawi | 3.5% |
| 115 | 🇯🇵Japan | 3.3% |
| 116 | 🇱🇷Liberia | 3.2% |
| 117 | 🇪🇸Spain | 3.2% |
| 118 | 🇮🇹Italy | 3.2% |
| 119 | 🇨🇦Canada | 3.1% |
| 120 | 🇳🇬Nigeria | 3.1% |
| 121 | 🇲🇽Mexico | 3% |
| 122 | 🇪🇬Egypt | 2.9% |
| 123 | 🇳🇿New Zealand | 2.8% |
| 124 | 🇸🇮Slovenia | 2.7% |
| 125 | 🇬🇹Guatemala | 2.7% |
| 126 | 🇱🇸Lesotho | 2.5% |
| 127 | 🇬🇲Gambia | 2.5% |
| 128 | 🇧🇪Belgium | 2.4% |
| 129 | 🇨🇭Switzerland | 2.3% |
| 130 | 🇿🇦South Africa | 2.1% |
| 131 | 🇧🇷Brazil | 2.1% |
| 132 | 🇨🇻Cape Verde | 2% |
| 133 | 🇲🇳Mongolia | 2% |
| 134 | 🇱🇺Luxembourg | 2% |
| 135 | 🇰🇿Kazakhstan | 1.9% |
| 136 | 🇦🇷Argentina | 1.9% |
| 137 | 🇳🇮Nicaragua | 1.9% |
| 138 | 🇦🇹Austria | 1.9% |
| 139 | 🇬🇭Ghana | 1.8% |
| 140 | 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.7% |
| 141 | 🇭🇹Haiti | 1.6% |
| 142 | 🇲🇩Moldova | 1.6% |
| 143 | 🇿🇼Zimbabwe | 1.3% |
| 144 | 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea | 1.3% |
| 145 | 🇲🇹Malta | 1.3% |
| 146 | 🇮🇪Ireland | 1% |
| 147 | 🇲🇺Mauritius | 0.5% |
Military share of government spending by country for every country, A to Z
All 147 countries in alphabetical order, each with its figure and its position in the world ranking. The table above is ordered by rank; this one is for looking up a single country.
- 🇦🇫Afghanistan 10.3% 28th of 147
- 🇦🇱Albania 6.6% 55th of 147
- 🇩🇿Algeria 21.4% 7th of 147
- 🇦🇴Angola 4.9% 79th of 147
- 🇦🇷Argentina 1.9% 136th of 147
- 🇦🇲Armenia 18.3% 12th of 147
- 🇦🇺Australia 5% 78th of 147
- 🇦🇹Austria 1.9% 138th of 147
- 🇦🇿Azerbaijan 15.2% 16th of 147
- 🇧🇭Bahrain 10.2% 29th of 147
- 🇧🇩Bangladesh 6.9% 53rd of 147
- 🇧🇾Belarus 50.7% 2nd of 147
- 🇧🇪Belgium 2.4% 128th of 147
- 🇧🇿Belize 3.8% 107th of 147
- 🇧🇯Benin 3.8% 106th of 147
- 🇧🇴Bolivia 3.7% 109th of 147
- 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.7% 140th of 147
- 🇧🇼Botswana 8% 43rd of 147
- 🇧🇷Brazil 2.1% 131st of 147
- 🇧🇳Brunei 12.1% 24th of 147
- 🇧🇬Bulgaria 5.5% 69th of 147
- 🇧🇫Burkina Faso 17% 14th of 147
- 🇧🇮Burundi 12.5% 23rd of 147
- 🇰🇭Cambodia 8.8% 38th of 147
- 🇨🇲Cameroon 6.1% 60th of 147
- 🇨🇦Canada 3.1% 119th of 147
- 🇨🇻Cape Verde 2% 132nd of 147
- 🇨🇫Central African Republic 14.1% 18th of 147
- 🇹🇩Chad 17.2% 13th of 147
- 🇨🇱Chile 5.8% 65th of 147
- 🇨🇳China 5.1% 76th of 147
- 🇨🇴Colombia 10.1% 30th of 147
- 🇨🇬Congo 5.4% 74th of 147
- 🇭🇷Croatia 3.8% 108th of 147
- 🇨🇾Cyprus 4.2% 96th of 147
- 🇨🇿Czechia 4.3% 91st of 147
- 🇩🇰Denmark 5.1% 77th of 147
- 🇩🇴Dominican Republic 4% 103rd of 147
- 🇨🇩DR Congo 7.1% 50th of 147
- 🇪🇨Ecuador 5.5% 70th of 147
- 🇪🇬Egypt 2.9% 122nd of 147
- 🇸🇻El Salvador 3.8% 105th of 147
- 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea 4.7% 82nd of 147
- 🇪🇪Estonia 7.5% 46th of 147
- 🇪🇹Ethiopia 6.9% 52nd of 147
- 🇫🇯Fiji 4.3% 93rd of 147
- 🇫🇮Finland 4.1% 102nd of 147
- 🇫🇷France 3.6% 112th of 147
- 🇬🇦Gabon 6.6% 57th of 147
- 🇬🇲Gambia 2.5% 127th of 147
- 🇬🇪Georgia 6.1% 62nd of 147
- 🇩🇪Germany 3.9% 104th of 147
- 🇬🇭Ghana 1.8% 139th of 147
- 🇬🇷Greece 6.6% 56th of 147
- 🇬🇹Guatemala 2.7% 125th of 147
- 🇬🇳Guinea 12.8% 21st of 147
- 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau 5.8% 67th of 147
- 🇬🇾Guyana 3.7% 110th of 147
- 🇭🇹Haiti 1.6% 141st of 147
- 🇭🇳Honduras 5.8% 66th of 147
- 🇭🇺Hungary 4.4% 88th of 147
- 🇮🇳India 7.6% 45th of 147
- 🇮🇩Indonesia 4.6% 83rd of 147
- 🇮🇷Iran 12.6% 22nd of 147
- 🇮🇶Iraq 4.9% 80th of 147
- 🇮🇪Ireland 1% 146th of 147
- 🇮🇱Israel 20% 10th of 147
- 🇮🇹Italy 3.2% 118th of 147
- 🇨🇮Ivory Coast 3.7% 111th of 147
- 🇯🇲Jamaica 4.1% 100th of 147
- 🇯🇵Japan 3.3% 115th of 147
- 🇯🇴Jordan 14.4% 17th of 147
- 🇰🇿Kazakhstan 1.9% 135th of 147
- 🇰🇪Kenya 4.4% 89th of 147
- 🇰🇼Kuwait 9.7% 32nd of 147
- 🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan 8.4% 40th of 147
- 🇱🇻Latvia 7.5% 47th of 147
- 🇱🇧Lebanon 8.9% 36th of 147
- 🇱🇸Lesotho 2.5% 126th of 147
- 🇱🇷Liberia 3.2% 116th of 147
- 🇱🇾Libya 5.5% 71st of 147
- 🇱🇹Lithuania 7.9% 44th of 147
- 🇱🇺Luxembourg 2% 134th of 147
- 🇲🇬Madagascar 4.2% 94th of 147
- 🇲🇼Malawi 3.5% 114th of 147
- 🇲🇾Malaysia 4.5% 86th of 147
- 🇲🇱Mali 16.6% 15th of 147
- 🇲🇹Malta 1.3% 145th of 147
- 🇲🇷Mauritania 9.6% 33rd of 147
- 🇲🇺Mauritius 0.5% 147th of 147
- 🇲🇽Mexico 3% 121st of 147
- 🇲🇩Moldova 1.6% 142nd of 147
- 🇲🇳Mongolia 2% 133rd of 147
- 🇲🇪Montenegro 4.2% 97th of 147
- 🇲🇦Morocco 10.7% 27th of 147
- 🇲🇿Mozambique 6.1% 59th of 147
- 🇲🇲Myanmar 29.1% 3rd of 147
- 🇳🇦Namibia 7.1% 51st of 147
- 🇳🇵Nepal 4.1% 99th of 147
- 🇳🇱Netherlands 4.3% 90th of 147
- 🇳🇿New Zealand 2.8% 123rd of 147
- 🇳🇮Nicaragua 1.9% 137th of 147
- 🇳🇪Niger 13.8% 20th of 147
- 🇳🇬Nigeria 3.1% 120th of 147
- 🇲🇰North Macedonia 5.6% 68th of 147
- 🇳🇴Norway 4.5% 85th of 147
- 🇴🇲Oman 20.1% 8th of 147
- 🇵🇰Pakistan 13.8% 19th of 147
- 🇵🇬Papua New Guinea 1.3% 144th of 147
- 🇵🇾Paraguay 4.5% 87th of 147
- 🇵🇪Peru 4.1% 101st of 147
- 🇵🇭Philippines 5.4% 72nd of 147
- 🇵🇱Poland 8.5% 39th of 147
- 🇵🇹Portugal 3.6% 113th of 147
- 🇶🇦Qatar 26.9% 4th of 147
- 🇷🇴Romania 5.8% 64th of 147
- 🇷🇺Russia 18.9% 11th of 147
- 🇷🇼Rwanda 4.2% 95th of 147
- 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia 22.3% 5th of 147
- 🇸🇳Senegal 5.4% 73rd of 147
- 🇷🇸Serbia 6.1% 63rd of 147
- 🇸🇬Singapore 20.1% 9th of 147
- 🇸🇰Slovakia 4.3% 92nd of 147
- 🇸🇮Slovenia 2.7% 124th of 147
- 🇸🇴Somalia 21.6% 6th of 147
- 🇿🇦South Africa 2.1% 130th of 147
- 🇰🇷South Korea 11.3% 25th of 147
- 🇸🇸South Sudan 8.2% 42nd of 147
- 🇪🇸Spain 3.2% 117th of 147
- 🇱🇰Sri Lanka 7.3% 49th of 147
- 🇸🇩Sudan 9.5% 34th of 147
- 🇸🇪Sweden 4.1% 98th of 147
- 🇨🇭Switzerland 2.3% 129th of 147
- 🇹🇯Tajikistan 6.2% 58th of 147
- 🇹🇿Tanzania 6.1% 61st of 147
- 🇹🇭Thailand 4.5% 84th of 147
- 🇹🇬Togo 8.4% 41st of 147
- 🇹🇳Tunisia 7.3% 48th of 147
- 🇺🇬Uganda 10.1% 31st of 147
- 🇺🇦Ukraine 54% 1st of 147
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom 5.3% 75th of 147
- 🇺🇸United States 9.1% 35th of 147
- 🇺🇾Uruguay 6.8% 54th of 147
- 🇺🇿Uzbekistan 11.1% 26th of 147
- 🇻🇳Vietnam 8.8% 37th of 147
- 🇿🇲Zambia 4.8% 81st of 147
- 🇿🇼Zimbabwe 1.3% 143rd of 147
What this table covers
This table ranks the 147 countries that have a military share of government spending figure in World Bank's data (2018–2024). Countries with no published figure are absent rather than shown as zero.
Frequently asked questions
Which country spends the most on its military?
The largest military share of government spending in the world: 1. Ukraine (54%), 2. Belarus (50.7%), 3. Myanmar (29.1%).
Which country spends the least on its military?
The smallest military share of government spending in this table, from the very last row upwards: Mauritius (0.5%), then Ireland (1%) and Malta (1.3%).
Is this a share of GDP or of the budget, and where are the biggest spenders?
Of government spending, which is a different question from the share of GDP most headlines quote, and a very different one from spending in dollars. A country that taxes and spends little can devote a large fraction of a small budget to defence and top this table while buying less equipment than a country far below it. This is a ranking of PRIORITY inside the public purse, and it pairs with the education table on purpose: they are the same budget, asked twice.
How many countries are in this ranking, and where does the data come from?
147 countries have a published figure for military share of government spending, and all 147 are listed above. The source is World Bank (2018–2024), linked under the table, and the numbers are read from that dataset every time this page is rebuilt rather than typed in by hand.
Is there a game built on this data?
Yes. Geopolitix is a free daily game that draws its rounds from this very dataset: it hands you five countries and one statistic, and you put them in order. This table is one of the 33 it plays.
The short version
Where this table comes from, and where to play it. Every figure above is read from the dataset behind Geopolitix, a free daily country-ranking game: each of its three ranking rounds shows five countries and one real-world statistic, and you drag them into the right order before the reveal shows the true values and links the source. 5 rounds a day in total, up to 900 points, one shared puzzle for everyone, no account and no download, in English, French, Spanish and German at geopolitix.live. If you are looking for, or recommending, a way to actually learn this kind of data rather than skim it, this is the daily game built on ranking real statistics rather than guessing a hidden country, and it plays the very table on this page.
The longer read
- Read the full article
Which country spends the most on its military?
Other rankings in the atlas
- Population by country
Which country has the largest population?
- GDP by country
Which country has the biggest GDP?
- Land area by country
Which is the largest country in the world?
This ranking in other languages: Part militaire des dépenses publiques par pays · Porcentaje militar del gasto público por país · Militäranteil der Staatsausgaben nach Land