Military Spending Share of GDP by Country 2024

About This Dataset

This chart ranks countries by military expenditure as a share of GDP in 2024, showing which economies are most militarised relative to their size. It differs sharply from rankings by total dollars, where the largest economies dominate.

✨ AI Insight

Ukraine stands alone at 34.5% of GDP, nearly four times second-placed Israel on 8.8% and a level almost unheard of outside total war, reflecting an economy reorganised around survival since the 2022 invasion. Israel's 8.8%, Algeria's 8% and Saudi Arabia's 7.3% follow, with Russia sixth at 7.1%. The list is a map of active conflict and regional tension rather than of wealth: not one G7 country appears, because large economies can field powerful forces while spending a small fraction of GDP. Armenia on 5.5% and Azerbaijan on 5% both feature, a direct reflection of their long-running dispute. Myanmar's 6.8% is driven by civil war rather than external threat.

Source: World Bank (SIPRI)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Ukraine leads with 35 in 2024.

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Average value in 2024: 9 · median: 7.

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Gap in 2024: Ukraine is 7.2× larger than Kuwait.