Afghanistan vs China
Afghanistan vs China: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 5% of government spending in Afghanistan in 2020 and 5.1% of government spending in China in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Afghanistan, by 0.1 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in China.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Afghanistan has been higher since 2020, when it overtook China.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Afghanistan | China |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 5.1 |
| 2024 | – | 5.1 |
| 2023 | – | 5 |
| 2022 | – | 4.9 |
| 2021 | – | 4.9 |
| 2020 | 5 | 4.9 |
| 2019 | 4.3 | 4.9 |
| 2018 | 3.7 | 5 |
| 2017 | 3.7 | 5.3 |
| 2016 | 3.7 | 5.5 |
| 2015 | 3.8 | 5.6 |
| 2014 | 5.1 | 6 |
| 2013 | 4.3 | 6 |
| 2012 | 4.7 | 6 |
| 2011 | 8.3 | 6.2 |
| 2010 | 9.4 | 7 |
| 2009 | 9.9 | 7.4 |
| 2008 | 11.2 | 7.6 |
| 2007 | 12 | 9.6 |
| 2006 | 10.4 | 10.2 |
| 2005 | 12.7 | 10.2 |
| 2004 | 16.1 | 10.9 |
| 2003 | – | 11 |
| 2002 | – | 11.2 |
| 2001 | – | 11.4 |
| 2000 | – | 11.3 |
| 1999 | – | 12.5 |
| 1998 | – | 13.1 |
| 1997 | – | 14.1 |
| 1996 | – | 15 |
| 1995 | – | 15.2 |
| 1994 | – | 14.1 |
| 1993 | – | 14.8 |
| 1992 | – | 16.9 |
| 1991 | – | 14.3 |
| 1990 | – | 13.8 |
| 1989 | – | 13.2 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Afghanistan vs China
Health
- Life expectancyAfghanistan: 66 years in 2023China: 78 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAfghanistan: 5.3 per 100 live births in 2024China: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 44 per 1,000 live births in 2023China: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionAfghanistan: 4.14% in 2017China: 3.31% in 2017
- Suicide rateAfghanistan: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017China: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAfghanistan: 41.5 million people in 2023China: 1.42 billion people in 2023
- Population growthAfghanistan: 2.85% a year in 2023China: -0.24% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAfghanistan: 4.84 births per woman in 2023China: 1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAfghanistan: 25.9% in 2025China: 66.3% in 2025
- Median ageAfghanistan: 16.9 years in 2023China: 39.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAfghanistan: 2.4% in 2023China: 14.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateAfghanistan: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023China: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.83% of GDP in 2021China: 1.73% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsAfghanistan: $8.55M in 1977China: $335B in 2025
- Military spending per personAfghanistan: $7 in 2021China: $237 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelAfghanistan: 165,000 people in 2020China: 2.54 million people in 2020
- National powerAfghanistan: 0.29% of world capability in 2022China: 23.41% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAfghanistan: 1.82% of the labour force in 2020China: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAfghanistan: 65 million TIV in 2021China: 207 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsAfghanistan: 1 million TIV in 1992China: 880 million TIV in 2025