Key takeaways
- United States leads 2024 at $997.31 billion, followed by China at $313.66 billion and Russian Federation at $148.97 billion.
- 5 of 1960's top ten countries remain in the top ten in 2024: United States, Germany, India, United Kingdom, France.
- Among 2024's top ten, Saudi Arabia recorded the largest climb, rising from 26th in 1960 to 7th in 2024.
- Inside the current top 20, Ukraine gained the most since 2000, rising from 47th to 8th at $64.7 billion.
- 66 countries reported values in 1960, against 151 in 2024.
5 of 1960's top ten countries still rank in the top ten
Rank position, 1960 → 2024 · top 12 countries of 2024 · 1960 axis breaks below rank 20The military spending ranking broadly tracks <a href="/data/gdp-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">total GDP</a>: the United States leads both, and the top five on defence spending overlap substantially with the five largest economies. The United States spends approximately 3.2% of its GDP on defence. 5 of 1960's top ten remain in 2024's top ten: United States, Germany, India, United Kingdom, France.
The most notable disruption in the ranking since 2000 is Ukraine, which rose from 47th in 2000 to 8th in 2024. Ukraine's defence expenditure increased from $6.8 billion in 2020 to $64.7 billion in 2024, a tenfold increase in four years.
Saudi Arabia rose from 26th in 1960 to 7th in 2024
Among 2024's top ten, Saudi Arabia recorded the largest climb over the full series, rising from 26th in 1960 to 7th in 2024. Oil-exporting states account for a disproportionate share of the top-ten climbers, reflecting the link between <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">per-capita income</a> and absolute defence budgets in smaller, high-income economies.
China, which ranks 2nd in both <a href="/data/gdp-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">total GDP</a> and military spending, moved from 6th in defence expenditure in 2000 to 2nd by 2024.
Full rankings: military spending by country, 2024
Trajectory shows each country's annual series indexed to its own 1960–2024 range| Rank▲ | Country⇅ | Trajectory 1960–2024 | Military Spending by Country, 2024⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States USA | | |
| 2 |  China CHN | | |
| 3 |  Russian Federation RUS | | |
| 4 ▲5 |  Germany DEU | | |
| 5 ▲2 |  India IND | | |
| 6 ▼1 |  United Kingdom GBR | | |
| 7 ▼3 |  Saudi Arabia SAU | | |
| 8 ▲36 |  Ukraine UKR | | |
| 9 ▼3 |  France FRA | | |
| 10 ▼2 |  Japan JPN | | |
| 11 ▼1 |  Korea, Rep. KOR | | |
| 12 ▲3 |  Israel ISR | | |
| 13 ▲7 |  Poland POL | | |
| 14 ▼2 |  Italy ITA | | |
| 15 ▼2 |  Australia AUS | | |
| 16 ▼2 |  Canada CAN | | |
| 17 ▼1 |  Turkiye TUR | | |
| 18 ▼1 |  Spain ESP | | |
| 19 ▲2 |  Netherlands NLD | | |
| 20 ▼2 |  Algeria DZA | | |
| 21 ▼10 |  Brazil BRA | | |
| 22 ▲8 |  Mexico MEX | | |
| 23 ▼4 |  Colombia COL | | |
| 24 ▼1 |  Singapore SGP | | |
| 25 ▲6 |  Sweden SWE | | |
| 26 ▲1 |  Indonesia IDN | | |
| 27 ▼1 |  Norway NOR | | |
| 28 ▼4 |  Pakistan PAK | | |
| 29 ▲12 |  Denmark DNK | | |
| 30 ▲22 |  Romania ROU | | |
| 31 ▲4 |  Belgium BEL | | |
| 32 ▲2 |  Greece GRC | | |
| 33 ▼11 |  Iran, Islamic Rep. IRN | | |
| 34 ▼2 |  Kuwait KWT | | |
| 35 ▲8 |  Finland FIN | | |
| 36 ▲4 |  Switzerland CHE | | |
| 37 ▲21 |  Czechia CZE | | |
| 38 ▼10 |  Iraq IRQ | | |
| 39 ▲10 |  Philippines PHL | | |
| 40 ▼15 |  Oman OMN | | |
| 41 ▼8 |  Thailand THA | | |
| 42 |  Morocco MAR | | |
| 43 ▲4 |  Austria AUT | | |
| 44 ▼8 |  Chile CHL | | |
| 45 ▲8 |  Myanmar MMR | | |
| 46 ▲19 |  Hungary HUN | | |
| 47 ▲3 |  Portugal PRT | | |
| 48 ▼9 |  Malaysia MYS | | |
| 49 ▼11 |  Argentina ARG | | |
| 50 ▲5 |  Bangladesh BGD | | |
| 51 ▼5 |  Azerbaijan AZE | | |
| 52 ▲7 |  New Zealand NZL | | |
| 53 ▲16 |  Slovak Republic SVK | | |
| 54 ▼9 |  South Africa ZAF | | |
| 55 ▼4 |  Ecuador ECU | | |
| 56 ▲30 |  Lithuania LTU | | |
| 57 ▼9 |  Peru PER | | |
| 58 ▲4 |  Jordan JOR | | |
| 59 ▼22 |  Egypt, Arab Rep. EGY | | |
| 60 ▲14 |  Bulgaria BGR | | |
| 61 ▲9 |  Serbia SRB | | |
| 62 ▲2 |  South Sudan SSD | | |
| 63 ▲5 |  Uruguay URY | | |
| 64 ▲3 |  Croatia HRV | | |
| 65 ▲7 |  Belarus BLR | | |
| 66 ▲14 |  Estonia EST | | |
| 67 ▲31 |  Latvia LVA | | |
| 68 ▲15 |  Armenia ARM | | |
| 69 ▼6 |  Bahrain BHR | | |
| 70 ▼10 |  Sri Lanka LKA | | |
| 71 ▼5 |  Ireland IRL | | |
| 72 ▼1 |  Tunisia TUN | | |
| 73 |  Kenya KEN | | |
| 74 ▼18 |  Kazakhstan KAZ | | |
| 75 ▼21 |  Nigeria NGA | | |
| 76 ▲21 |  Uganda UGA | | |
| 77 ▲36 |  Burkina Faso BFA | | |
| 78 ▲7 |  Dominican Republic DOM | | |
| 79 ▲3 |  Slovenia SVN | | |
| 80 ▲27 |  Mali MLI | | |
| 81 ▼52 |  Angola AGO | | |
| 82 ▲6 |  Ethiopia ETH | | |
| 83 ▼2 |  Tanzania TZA | | |
| 84 ▲11 |  Congo, Dem. Rep. COD | | |
| 85 ▲17 |  Luxembourg LUX | | |
| 86 ▲13 |  Cambodia KHM | | |
| 87 ▼8 |  Cote d'Ivoire CIV | | |
| 88 ▼12 |  Bolivia BOL | | |
| 89 ▼32 |  Lebanon LBN | | |
| 90 ▼3 |  Georgia GEO | | |
| 91 ▲2 |  Cyprus CYP | | |
| 92 ▲12 |  Honduras HND | | |
| 93 ▲1 |  Botswana BWA | | |
| 94 ▲15 |  Guinea GIN | | |
| 95 ▼17 |  Brunei Darussalam BRN | | |
| 96 ▼5 |  Chad TCD | | |
| 97 ▲15 |  Albania ALB | | |
| 98 ▼9 |  Cameroon CMR | | |
| 99 ▲6 |  Senegal SEN | | |
| 100 ▲1 |  Kyrgyz Republic KGZ | | |
| 101 ▲13 |  Mozambique MOZ | | |
| 102 ▲14 |  Niger NER | | |
| 103 ▼7 |  Nepal NPL | | |
| 104 ▲2 |  El Salvador SLV | | |
| 105 ▼2 |  Guatemala GTM | | |
| 106 ▼16 |  Paraguay PRY | | |
| 107 ▼30 |  Namibia NAM | | |
| 108 ▲10 |  North Macedonia MKD | | |
| 109 ▼25 |  Zambia ZMB | | |
| 110 ▼2 |  Gabon GAB | | |
| 111 ▼11 |  Ghana GHA | | |
| 112 ▲7 |  Jamaica JAM | | |
| 113 ▲4 |  Mauritania MRT | | |
| 114 ▲8 |  Tajikistan TJK | | |
| 115 ▼4 |  Trinidad and Tobago TTO | | |
| 116 ▼6 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH | | |
| 117 ▲15 |  Somalia, Fed. Rep. SOM | | |
| 118 ▲20 |  Guyana GUY | | |
| 119 ▲6 |  Togo TGO | | |
| 120 ▼45 |  Congo, Rep. COG | | |
| 121 |  Mongolia MNG | | |
| 122 ▲2 |  Rwanda RWA | | |
| 123 ▲8 |  Burundi BDI | | |
| 124 ▲10 |  Kosovo XKX | | |
| 125 ▼2 |  Benin BEN | | |
| 126 ▲4 |  Montenegro MNE | | |
| 127 ▲2 |  Madagascar MDG | | |
| 128 ▲7 |  Malawi MWI | | |
| 129 ▼14 |  Equatorial Guinea GNQ | | |
| 130 ▲12 |  Moldova MDA | | |
| 131 ▲2 |  Malta MLT | | |
| 132 ▼6 |  Nicaragua NIC | | |
| 133 ▼41 |  Zimbabwe ZWE | | |
| 134 ▼14 |  Papua New Guinea PNG | | |
| 135 ▼8 |  Eswatini SWZ | | |
| 136 ▼8 |  Fiji FJI | | |
| 137 ▲2 |  Central African Republic CAF | | |
| 138 ▲3 |  Timor-Leste TLS | | |
| 139 ▼3 |  Sierra Leone SLE | | |
| 140 ▼3 |  Lesotho LSO | | |
| 141 ▲5 |  Liberia LBR | | |
| 142 ▲1 |  Belize BLZ | | |
| 143 ▼3 |  Seychelles SYC | | |
| 144 |  Mauritius MUS | | |
| 145 ▲3 |  Haiti HTI | | |
| 146 ▲1 |  Cabo Verde CPV | | |
| 147 ▼2 |  Gambia, The GMB | | |
| 148 ▲1 |  Costa Rica CRI | | |
| 148 ▲1 |  Iceland ISL | | |
| 148 ▲1 |  Panama PAN | | |
| 148 ▼87 |  Venezuela, RB VEN | |
Frequently asked questions
Which country spends the most on its military in 2024?
United States leads at $997.31 billion, followed by China at $313.66 billion and Russian Federation at $148.97 billion.
Which country climbed the military spending rankings most since 1960?
Among 2024's top ten, Saudi Arabia recorded the largest climb, rising from 26th in 1960 to 7th in 2024. The downloadable CSV includes the complete rank history.
Which country gained the most in the rankings since 2000?
Inside the current top 20, Ukraine gained the most since 2000, rising from 47th to 8th at $64.7 billion.
Are these figures adjusted for inflation?
No. Values are in current US dollars as reported by the World Bank. Changes over time reflect both real spending increases and US-dollar inflation; within-year rankings are unaffected.
Why do some countries not appear?
The World Bank publishes military expenditure for 151 countries with available data in 2024. Countries with no reported value are excluded from the ranking.
How often is this data updated?
The World Bank publishes updated military expenditure data annually. This page is rebuilt from the latest release, retrieved July 2026.
Methodology & Fair Use
Data runs to 2024, the most recent year published by World Bank World Development Indicators.
Figures are military expenditure in current US dollars as published in the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CD), retrieved July 2026. Rankings are computed among all countries with reported data for each year; countries with no reported value in a given year are excluded from that year's ranking. Because values are nominal, changes over time reflect both real spending changes and US-dollar inflation; within-year rankings are unaffected. Trajectory sparklines index each country's series to its own 1960–2024 range and are not comparable in level across rows.
This dataset is published by Ranking Atlas and may be cited or reproduced with attribution and a link to this page.
Data licence. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Retrieved July 2026.
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