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Mapped: Worldโ€™s Top 40 Largest Military Budgets
The Visual Capitalist ^ | 07/13/2023 | Pallavi Rao and Joyce Ma

Posted on 07/13/2023 8:28:21 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

In the final year of World War II, the U.S. spent about 38% of its GDP on its military.

When adjusted for inflation, the military budget over those four years of war came to a staggering $4.1 trillion in 2020 dollars.

And as Visual Capitalist's Pallave Rao and Joyce Ma detail below, almost 80 years later, modern day military spending isnโ€™t much of a far cry from World War II budgets.

The top spenders have continued to increase their military capabilities, while war in Ukraine has caused countries in the region to re-evaluate their budgets as well.

In 2022, global military budgets hit an all-time high of $2.2 trillion, according to data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the eighth consecutive year of increase. This post looks at the top 40 largest military budgets in the world.

The Largest Military Budgets in 2022

The United States accounts for almost 40% of global military expenditures, with its 2022 spend coming to $877 billion.

Here are the top 40 largest military budgets in the world for 2022 in U.S. dollars:

RankCountryMilitary Budget (Billions)% of World
Military Spend
1๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.$876.939.0%
2๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China$292.013.0%
3๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia$86.43.9%
4๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India$81.43.6%
5๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Saudi Arabia$75.03.3%
6๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK$68.53.1%
7๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany$55.82.5%
8๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France$53.62.4%
9๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea$46.42.1%
10๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan$46.02.1%
11๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Ukraine$44.02.0%
12๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy$33.51.5%
13๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia$32.31.4%
14๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada$26.91.2%
15๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel$23.41.0%
16๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain$20.30.9%
17๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil$20.20.9%
18๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Poland$16.60.7%
19๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands$15.60.7%
20๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Qatar$15.40.7%
21๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan$12.50.6%
22๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Singapore$11.70.5%
23๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Tรผrkiye$10.60.5%
24๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan$10.30.5%
25๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด Colombia$9.90.4%
26๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algeria$9.10.4%
27๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Indonesia$9.00.4%
28๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Mexico$8.50.4%
29๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด Norway$8.40.4%
30๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผ Kuwait$8.20.4%
31๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece$8.10.4%
32๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Sweden$7.70.3%
33๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช Belgium$6.90.3%
34๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท Iran$6.80.3%
35๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Switzerland$6.10.3%
36๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒ Oman$5.80.3%
37๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Thailand$5.70.3%
38๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Chile$5.60.2%
39๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark$5.50.2%
40๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania$5.20.2%

China, ranked second in absolute terms, accounts for another 13% of world military expenditure at $292 billion.

Russia, India and Saudi Arabia round out the top five biggest military budgets in 2022. Add in the UK to the mix (#6 rank), and these countries all had military expenditures that made up at least 3% of global spend.

Comparatively, the lowest budgets on the top 40 ranged include Romania at $5.2 billion, Denmark at $5.5 billion, and Chile at $5.6 billion. They each account for just 0.2% of the worldโ€™s military budgets in 2022, and of course there are many countries with even smaller spends.

Largest Military Budget Increases in 2022

Russiaโ€™s position as the third-largest military spender is a recent development, as the countryโ€™s military spend had a 9% increase between 2021 and 2022, according to SIPRI estimates.

On the other side of Russiaโ€™s invasion, Ukraine was the top 40 military budget with the largest annual increase in 2022, surging nearly six and a half times above its 2021 expenditures.

Country% Change
(2021-2022)
Rank Change
(2021-2022)
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Ukraine640%+25
๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Qatar27%+2
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Saudi Arabia16%+3
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช Belgium13%0
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands12%0
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Sweden12%-1
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Poland11%0
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia9.2%+2
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark8.8%+3
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain7.3%-1
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด Norway6.2%0
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India6.0%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan5.9%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท Iran4.6%+5
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China4.2%0
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง UK3.7%-2
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada3.0%-1
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Singapore2.8%+1
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany2.3%0
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Indonesia1.3%0
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด Colombia1.1%-1
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.0.7%0
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France0.6%-2
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece0.6%-1
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ Switzerland0.4%-1
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan0.4%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia0.3%-1
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan-2.0%-3
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea-2.5%+1
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania-2.6%+1
๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒ Oman-3.0%+1
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Algeria-3.7%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel-4.2%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy-4.5%-1
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Chile-6.2%-3
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Brazil-7.9%-1
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ Mexico-9.7%0
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผ Kuwait-11%-4
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Thailand-11%-5
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Tรผrkiye-26%-6

Ukraineโ€™s dramatic increase represents the highest single-year jump ever recorded by SIPRI, painting a vivid before-and-after picture of a nation engaged in conflict.

Although no other country comes close in matching Ukraineโ€™s surge in defense spending, Qatar saw a substantial increase of 27% over the last year, marking a continuing trend over the last decade of significantly bolstering its military.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia, along with four European nations (Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland), have registered year-over-year changes of over 10%.

On the flipside, 13 of the nations with the largest military budgets decreased spend from 2021, including top 15 spenders such as South Korea, Italy, and Israel.

The largest drop was seen by Tรผrkiye, with an estimated 26% reduction in military budget. This drop may be linked to Tรผrkiyeโ€™s inflation problem, which saw prices rise 72.3% in 2022โ€”effectively decreasing the purchasing power of their currency in relative terms to other nations.

The Specter of War in Europe

With an ongoing conflict in the region and large financial powerhouses, its no surprise that eight of the top 10 countries with the most significant increases in military spending are located in Europe.

Consequently, European military budgets have reached levels not witnessed since the end of the Cold War.

And amid escalating geopolitical concerns, countries in Asia such as India, Japan, and China have also ramped up their defense spending. This is an indication of simmering global flashpoints such as India and Chinaโ€™s border skirmishes, the longstanding South China Sea territorial conflict, and concerns surrounding Taiwanโ€™s sovereignty.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: budgets; military
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1 posted on 07/13/2023 8:28:21 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Looks like NATO is spending 18 or so times what Russia is.


2 posted on 07/13/2023 8:34:21 PM PDT by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: hardspunned

Combine spending of USA+NATO countries + Ukraine.
That would equal $876.9+$68.5+55.8+53.6+33.5+26.9+20.3+15.6+44.0 = $1200 Billion
Russia spends $86.4 Billon.

But Russia is still able to fight and capture territory against a military spending 14 times more?

What is wrong with this scenario?


3 posted on 07/13/2023 8:49:38 PM PDT by entropy12 (Career politician DeSantis losing in every poll against Biden, So much for electability. )
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To: SeekAndFind

This should be filtered to display “effective” military spending, or “effectively military spending”.

So much of the American budget has nothing to do with actual warfighting and combat-effectiveness spending.


4 posted on 07/13/2023 8:54:03 PM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: entropy12

“”””But Russia is still able to fight and capture territory against a military spending 14 times more?””””

Ukraine isn’t spending 14 times more.


5 posted on 07/13/2023 8:56:51 PM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: hardspunned

Need to adjust for the unbelievably bloated costs of the Western militaries.

Munitions and equjipment consistently cost an order of magnitude more in the West.

Everything from 7.62 vs .277 Fury, Krasnopol vs Excaliber, T90 vs Abrams, SU-57 vs F35, the Western cost is x10.

US military pay is ~x5 Russian levels.

Yeah the Western stuff may be better (debatable, given the battlefield performance of the Bradleys and Leopards) but not x10 !


6 posted on 07/13/2023 8:59:56 PM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: ansel12

Are you still bad with English? I said with entire NATO with USA (14 times BIGGER SPENDING than Russia) backing Ukraine, puny spending Russia has captured territory and holding it.


7 posted on 07/13/2023 9:10:01 PM PDT by entropy12 (Career politician DeSantis losing in every poll against Biden, So much for electability. )
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To: Reverend Wright

From what I have seen, every country has wasteful military spending. OK, may be USA is more wasteful than others.


8 posted on 07/13/2023 9:14:21 PM PDT by entropy12 (Career politician DeSantis losing in every poll against Biden, So much for electability. )
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To: entropy12

US munitions costs ten times as much, and it is Russia that has the corruption problem ?

I’m not kidding about x10.

AK 7.62 Russian cost supposedly 20 cents per round. AR DOD cost is supposedly 25 cents, so not too bad

But the new 277 Fury high pressure rounds will be an estimated $2 - $4 per round

Fury case is 3 piece since brass can’t take the high chamber pressures - brass tube, aluminum lock washer, stainless steel base which is individually machined !


9 posted on 07/13/2023 9:20:27 PM PDT by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: entropy12

I saw it, but if you want to know how Russia “is still able to fight and capture territory” while the United States and the other 30 countries of NATO aren’t, it is because Russia is immersed in fighting a war of conquest.

NATO/US isn’t fighting a war so they could hardly be fighting and capturing anything, they are at peace.


10 posted on 07/13/2023 9:25:47 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: entropy12

Russia invaded and is fighting Ukraine alone. At best Ukraine gets scraps of surplus or outdated equipment from the NATO countries.

NATO isn’t fighting the war.

Russia lost to Ukraine in February and March 2022 and has spent tye past 16 months in long drawn out retreat


11 posted on 07/13/2023 9:46:10 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: entropy12

NATO isn’t sending its latest weapons to Ukraine.

So your analogy is false


12 posted on 07/13/2023 9:47:10 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: hardspunned

Theft by industrial military complex.


13 posted on 07/14/2023 12:13:03 AM PDT by joma89 (Buy weapons and ammo, folks, and have the will to use them.)
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To: entropy12

Ruzzia is not fighting NATO. At such point that war between Ruzzia and NATO breaks out it will be a very bad day for Ruzzia.


14 posted on 07/14/2023 1:19:16 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: hardspunned

โ€œLooks like NATO is spending 18 or so times what Russia is.โ€

And it is more easily able to so, because it is a smaller percentage of their GDP.


15 posted on 07/14/2023 2:08:57 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: entropy12; hardspunned

โ€œ But Russia is still able to fight and capture territory against a military spending 14 times more?

What is wrong with this scenario?โ€

1. That NATO spending overwhelmingly does not go into the Ukraine war. The total amount that NATO has provided to the Ukraine is around one yearโ€™s worth of Russiaโ€™s (pre-war) Military budget.

2. In addition to current year spending, Russia has been expending huge stores out of inventory. Essentially, they have been blowing through their savings, as well as their paycheck. The gigantic Soviet stockpiles that Russia inherited from the Soviet Union, have been fired off at an historic rate of speed. The better half of many commodities (like Artillery shells and cruise missiles) is already gone, and several major combat platforms (like tanks, Artillery, attack helicopters and Close Air Support jets) are nearing the level where remaining inventory will be unable to continue to replace the rate of loss, and sustain the same number of active systems on the battlefield.

3. Russia has been spending more than their Federal Defense Budget, forcing their equivalent of State and local Government to raise and sustain combat units, as well as supposedly โ€œPrivateโ€ businesses like Wagner PMC and Gazprom - even individual oligarchs (they have actually been tapped pretty hard already.


16 posted on 07/14/2023 2:49:17 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: BeauBo

Thatโ€™s some kind of wishful dreaming youโ€™ve got going on there. Itโ€™s about as realistic as Hitlerโ€™s bunker hopes.


17 posted on 07/14/2023 3:54:12 AM PDT by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: SeekAndFind

Very misleading considering the US spends the most but pays the people doing the work far more. China is way ahead of us if you look at what they spend and the pittance they pay their people.. and that’s the ones that actually get paid.


18 posted on 07/14/2023 4:44:22 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: entropy12
Are you still bad with English? I said with entire NATO with USA (14 times BIGGER SPENDING than Russia) backing Ukraine, puny spending Russia has captured territory and holding it.

That's a terrible comparison. NATO isn't fighting Russia, Ukraine is, with a bit of half-assed support from some members of NATO. So your "$1200B" is actually closer to Ukraine + a couple Bs. So among the belligerents, Russia is actually spending more to take and hold that bit of territory.
19 posted on 07/14/2023 8:06:57 AM PDT by Svartalfiar
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To: Reverend Wright
Need to adjust for the unbelievably bloated costs of the Western militaries.

Munitions and equjipment consistently cost an order of magnitude more in the West.

Everything from 7.62 vs .277 Fury, Krasnopol vs Excaliber, T90 vs Abrams, SU-57 vs F35, the Western cost is x10.

US military pay is ~x5 Russian levels.

Yeah the Western stuff may be better (debatable, given the battlefield performance of the Bradleys and Leopards) but not x10 !


Not to mention, the West isn't even fighting the war. If we were actually involved, Russia would be done in a couple weeks. With or without the rest of NATO also helping.

And our stuff is probably more than 10x better, but you can't compare it using Ukrainian crews with hardly any training instead of actual US tank crews and scouts who are qualified on the platforms and likely have completed team/section or even troop/company level live fires. Not to mention the joint maneuver/combined arms and proper battlespace that we have that supports and magnifies the capabilities of the line units.
20 posted on 07/14/2023 8:24:19 AM PDT by Svartalfiar
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