Visualized: Global Military Spending as a Share of GDP in 2024

Niccolo Conte
2025-05-21 08:10:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

Visualizing Global Military Spending as a Share of GDP in 2024

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In 2024, the world spent 2.5% of its GDP, around $2.7 trillion, on the military.

Military spending is often a priority for countries dealing with armed conflicts, geopolitical tensions, or strategic competition (like between the U.S. and China).

This infographic ranks countries by their military spending as a share of GDP in 2024, revealing how much countries spend on defense relative to the size of their economy. The data is from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Which Countries Prioritize Military Spending the Most?

Ukraine had the highest economic military burden in 2024 at 34% of its GDP, a significant increase from 3.4% in 2021 (pre-Russia-Ukraine conflict).

Here’s a look at the top 20 countries by military spending as a share of GDP:

Rank	Country	Military Spending as a % of GDP (2024)
1	Ukraine	34.0%
2	Israel	8.8%
3	Algeria	8.0%
4	Saudi Arabia	7.3%
5	Russia	7.1%
6	Kuwait	4.8%
7	Poland	4.2%
8	United States	3.4%
9	Colombia	3.4%
10	Greece	3.1%
11	Singapore	2.8%
12	Pakistan	2.7%
13	South Korea	2.6%
14	Denmark	2.4%
15	Iraq	2.4%
16	India	2.3%
17	United Kingdom	2.3%
18	Romania	2.3%
19	Finland	2.3%
20	France	2.1%

On average, countries affected by armed conflict spent 4.4% of their GDP on the military in 2024, compared to 1.9% in countries with no armed conflict.

Countries in the Middle East spent an estimated $243 billion on the military, amid various ongoing conflicts in the region. Israel allocated 8.8% of its GDP to defense, while Saudi Arabia, the biggest spender in the region, spent 7.3%.

In North Africa, Algeria’s military spending doubled from 4.1% in 2022 to 8.0% in 2024, given the ongoing Western Sahara dispute with Morocco.

Meanwhile, Russia’s military expenditures increased by 38% from 2023, reaching 7.1% of its GDP in 2024 amid the war with Ukraine and rising tensions with Poland and other NATO members.

NATO Military Expenditure in 2024

In 2014, the NATO alliance set a guideline for members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense. According to SIPRI, 18 of the 32 NATO countries met or exceeded this benchmark in 2024, although military spending increased across all members.

Poland topped all NATO members with military expenditures accounting for 4.2% of its GDP, as tensions with Russia escalate. Overall, European NATO countries accounted for 30% of all spending in the alliance.

The United States, which made up 66% of NATO spending, spent 3.4% or nearly $1 trillion on its military. It was the single-largest military spender in 2024, accounting for over one-third of global military expenditure.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To see how global military expenditure has evolved in the 21st century, check out 20 Years of Global Military Spending on the Voronoi app.

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