Check yourself
Can you name the five countries that spend the most on their armed forces? Total military spending in US dollars, not as a share of GDP, in any order.
The United States is first by a very wide margin, with China second and Russia third. Germany is fourth and India fifth. The United Kingdom is sixth, just behind India.
The five largest military spenders
| Rank | Country | US$ billion | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 997 | 2024 |
| 2 | China | 314 | 2024 |
| 3 | Russia | 149 | 2024 |
| 4 | Germany | 88 | 2024 |
| 5 | India | 86 | 2024 |
Total for the whole country, not per person or as a share of GDP
Data: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).
America outspends the next several countries combined
The United States spends more on its armed forces than the next seven countries put together: China, Russia, Germany, India, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. Germany is fourth after raising its spending sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United Kingdom is sixth, a little behind India.
The Russian and Chinese figures are estimates
Large parts of Russia’s defence spending are classified, and China’s official defence budget leaves out items such as paramilitary forces and military research, so the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates both. Converting at market exchange rates also understates what countries with lower prices can buy: a soldier’s pay costs less in China or India than in America.
An answer on defence gives a total and a share of GDP together
When you use military spending in an essay on government spending, give both the total and the share of GDP. A total shows capacity, a share shows the burden on the economy, and the two rank countries very differently. Use the opportunity cost of defence spending to link the figure to the choice the government is making.
Total military spending is dominated by the United States; China is a distant second, and Britain sits just outside the top five.