Countries with Highest Military Spending
Conflict-affected states often top the list when measuring military spending as a percentage of GDP. Nations facing active security threats or regional instability dedicate a larger share of their economies to defense than the global average of roughly 2.2%.
In absolute dollar terms, the picture is very different, the United States, China, and India dominate total military expenditure. The US alone spends more on defense than the next ten countries combined.
This ranking uses military expenditure as a percentage of GDP, sourced from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and World Bank data.
The ranking
| 1 |  | Ukraine | 36.5% |
| 2 |  | Algeria | 7.4% |
| 3 |  | Saudi Arabia | 7.3% |
| 4 |  | Qatar | 6.5% |
| 5 |  | Oman | 5.5% |
| 6 |  | Armenia | 5.5% |
| 7 |  | Russia | 5.4% |
| 8 |  | Israel | 5.4% |
| 9 |  | Libya | 5.3% |
| 10 |  | Azerbaijan | 4.9% |
| 11 |  | Jordan | 4.8% |
| 12 |  | Kuwait | 4.8% |
| 13 |  | Burkina Faso | 4.1% |
| 14 |  | Mali | 3.8% |
| 15 |  | Myanmar | 3.8% |
| 16 |  | Morocco | 3.6% |
| 17 |  | Bahrain | 3.5% |
| 18 |  | Kyrgyzstan | 3.5% |
| 19 |  | Burundi | 3.4% |
| 20 |  | United States | 3.3% |
| 21 |  | Poland | 3.3% |
| 22 |  | Togo | 3.0% |
| 23 |  | Estonia | 3.0% |
| 24 |  | Brunei | 3.0% |
| 25 |  | Latvia | 3.0% |
| 26 |  | Colombia | 3.0% |
| 27 |  | Greece | 2.9% |
| 28 |  | Pakistan | 2.9% |
| 29 |  | Singapore | 2.8% |
| 30 |  | Namibia | 2.7% |
| 31 |  | Lithuania | 2.7% |
| 32 |  | Timor-Leste | 2.6% |
| 33 |  | South Korea | 2.6% |
| 34 |  | Tunisia | 2.5% |
| 35 |  | Botswana | 2.5% |
| 36 |  | Tajikistan | 2.4% |
| 37 |  | Central African Republic | 2.4% |
| 38 |  | India | 2.4% |
| 39 |  | Iran | 2.4% |
| 40 |  | Ecuador | 2.3% |
| 41 |  | Iraq | 2.3% |
| 42 |  | Mauritania | 2.3% |
| 43 |  | United Kingdom | 2.2% |
| 44 |  | Serbia | 2.2% |
| 45 |  | Guinea | 2.1% |
| 46 |  | Chad | 2.1% |
| 47 |  | Uruguay | 2.1% |
| 48 |  | South Sudan | 2.1% |
| 49 |  | Hungary | 2.0% |
| 50 |  | Belarus | 2.0% |
Questions
Which country spends the highest percentage of GDP on military?
Countries affected by conflict, such as Ukraine and certain Middle Eastern nations, often spend the highest percentage of GDP on defense, sometimes exceeding 5-6% of GDP. In absolute dollar terms, the USA spends the most by far.
What are the top 5 countries by military spending as percentage of GDP?
The top 5 countries by military spending as a percentage of GDP typically include conflict-affected and strategically focused nations such as Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar, and Algeria, though exact rankings vary by year.