Global Military Spending
The world spent $2.6T on military in 2024. The US accounts for 37.3%.
$968.4B
US Spending
$2.6T
World Total
37.3%
US Share
$1T
Next 10 Combined
🌍 Top 15 Military Spenders
📈 Historical Trends (Top 5)
🇺🇸 United States of America
🇨🇳 China
🇷🇺 Russia
🇩🇪 Germany
🇮🇳 India
📋 All 143 Countries
| # | Country | Amount | % of World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 United States of America | $968.4B | 37.3% |
| 2 | 🇨🇳 China | $317.6B | 12.2% |
| 3 | 🇷🇺 Russia | $150.5B | 5.8% |
| 4 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $86.3B | 3.3% |
| 5 | 🇮🇳 India | $83.6B | 3.2% |
| 6 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $79B | 3.0% |
| 7 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $77.4B | 3.0% |
| 8 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | $66.8B | 2.6% |
| 9 | 🇫🇷 France | $63.1B | 2.4% |
| 10 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $58.4B | 2.2% |
| 11 | Korea, South | $48.5B | 1.9% |
| 12 | 🇮🇱 Israel | $45.3B | 1.7% |
| 13 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $37.4B | 1.4% |
| 14 | 🇵🇱 Poland | $34.5B | 1.3% |
| 15 | 🇦🇺 Australia | $33B | 1.3% |
| 16 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $29.1B | 1.1% |
| 17 | Spain | $23.9B | 0.9% |
| 18 | Netherlands | $22.4B | 0.9% |
| 19 | Türkiye | $21.9B | 0.8% |
| 20 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | $21.7B | 0.8% |
| 21 | Algeria | $20.4B | 0.8% |
| 22 | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | $16.6B | 0.6% |
| 23 | Mexico | $16.5B | 0.6% |
| 24 | Singapore | $14.6B | 0.6% |
| 25 | Colombia | $12.2B | 0.5% |
| 26 | Sweden | $11.7B | 0.5% |
| 27 | Indonesia | $11.2B | 0.4% |
| 28 | Norway | $10.3B | 0.4% |
| 29 | Denmark | $9.8B | 0.4% |
| 30 | Belgium | $8.2B | 0.3% |
+ 113 more countries
👤 Military Spending Per Capita
How much each citizen effectively "pays" for their country's military — reveals different priorities than raw totals.
| Country | Total Spending | Population | Per Capita | % of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | $916B | 336M | $2,726 | 3.4% |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | $24B | 9.8M | $2,449 | 5.3% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $75B | 36M | $2,083 | 7.1% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $32B | 26M | $1,231 | 2.0% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $75B | 68M | $1,103 | 2.3% |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | $109B | 144M | $757 | 5.9% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $296B | 1.4B | $211 | 1.7% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $84B | 1.4B | $60 | 2.4% |
Sources: SIPRI 2024, World Bank. Per capita = total military spending ÷ population.
🌍 Regional Military Spending
North America
$948B39% of global total — US + Canada. Dominated by US at 97%
East Asia & Oceania
$446B18% of global total — China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan
Europe
$418B17% of global total — NATO rearmament driving 10%+ annual growth
Middle East
$200B8% of global total — Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, UAE, Turkey
South Asia
$105B4% of global total — India + Pakistan nuclear rivalry
Rest of World
$283B12% of global total — Africa, Latin America, Central Asia
💰 What $916 Billion Could Fund Instead
The annual US military budget compared to domestic needs:
🏠
End US homelessness
$20B/year
45x over
🎓
Free public college (all students)
$79B/year
11x over
💧
Clean water for every human on Earth
$28B one-time
32x over
🍞
End world hunger
$45B/year (UN est.)
20x over
👶
Universal pre-K (US)
$26B/year
35x over
🚀
NASA's entire budget
$25B/year
36x over
📅 Historical Context
- 1945 US military spending was 37% of GDP at WWII peak
- 1953 Korean War spending hit 14.2% of GDP
- 1968 Vietnam War peak: 9.5% of GDP
- 1989 Cold War ends. "Peace dividend" briefly cuts spending to 5.2% GDP
- 2001 9/11 launches War on Terror. Budget doubles in a decade
- 2010 Peak War on Terror spending: $849B (2024$)
- 2024 $916B — highest in inflation-adjusted dollars since WWII
Despite the "peace dividend" promise after the Cold War, US military spending has only increased. The 2024 budget is higher in real terms than any point during the Cold War, Vietnam, or Korean Wars.