Australia vs Papua New Guinea
Australia vs Papua New Guinea: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 1.92% of GDP in Australia and 0.35% of GDP in Papua New Guinea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Australia, by 1.57 percentage points, or 5.48 times that in Papua New Guinea.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Australia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1975.
- In 2025, Australia ranked 65 and Papua New Guinea ranked 145 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Australia | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.92 | 0.35 |
| 2024 | 1.9 | 0.31 |
| 2023 | 1.86 | 0.35 |
| 2022 | 1.88 | 0.42 |
| 2021 | 1.97 | 0.33 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0.39 |
| 2019 | 1.87 | 0.36 |
| 2018 | 1.89 | 0.33 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0.36 |
| 2016 | 2.08 | 0.38 |
| 2015 | 1.95 | 0.46 |
| 2014 | 1.77 | 0.48 |
| 2013 | 1.63 | 0.49 |
| 2012 | 1.66 | 0.52 |
| 2011 | 1.75 | 0.36 |
| 2010 | 1.85 | 0.33 |
| 2009 | 1.92 | 0.45 |
| 2008 | 1.79 | 0.34 |
| 2007 | 1.81 | 0.41 |
| 2006 | 1.81 | 0.38 |
| 2005 | 1.79 | 0.42 |
| 2004 | 1.82 | 0.39 |
| 2003 | 1.84 | 0.35 |
| 2002 | 1.87 | 0.37 |
| 2001 | 1.86 | 0.55 |
| 2000 | 1.82 | 0.64 |
| 1999 | 1.88 | 0.69 |
| 1998 | 1.87 | 0.88 |
| 1997 | 1.86 | 1.08 |
| 1996 | 1.93 | 1.02 |
| 1995 | 2.02 | 0.78 |
| 1994 | 2.11 | 1.01 |
| 1993 | 2.17 | 0.92 |
| 1992 | 2.17 | 0.89 |
| 1991 | 2.16 | 0.92 |
| 1990 | 2.07 | 1.42 |
| 1989 | 2.05 | 1.5 |
| 1988 | 2.16 | 1.27 |
| 1987 | 2.37 | 1.61 |
| 1986 | 2.54 | 1.57 |
| 1985 | 2.52 | 1.56 |
| 1984 | 2.51 | – |
| 1983 | 2.52 | – |
| 1982 | 2.39 | – |
| 1981 | 2.3 | 1.41 |
| 1980 | 2.25 | 1.4 |
| 1979 | 2.19 | 1.21 |
| 1978 | 2.22 | 1.27 |
| 1977 | 2.25 | 1.25 |
| 1976 | 2.22 | 1.63 |
| 1975 | 2.27 | 0.6 |
| 1974 | 2.26 | – |
| 1973 | 2.38 | – |
| 1972 | 2.69 | – |
| 1971 | 2.76 | – |
| 1970 | 2.97 | – |
| 1969 | 3.39 | – |
| 1968 | 3.84 | – |
| 1967 | 3.79 | – |
| 1966 | 3.45 | – |
| 1965 | 2.95 | – |
| 1964 | 2.65 | – |
| 1963 | 2.45 | – |
| 1962 | 2.36 | – |
| 1961 | 2.42 | – |
| 1960 | 2.37 | – |
| 1959 | 3.1 | – |
| 1958 | 3.26 | – |
| 1957 | 3.32 | – |
| 1956 | 3.67 | – |
| 1955 | 3.86 | – |
| 1954 | 3.97 | – |
| 1953 | 4.8 | – |
| 1952 | 5.18 | – |
| 1951 | 3.74 | – |
| 1950 | 2.88 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, 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 151 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
Australia vs Papua New Guinea
Health
- Life expectancyAustralia: 83.9 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAustralia: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Papua New Guinea: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAustralia: 3.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Papua New Guinea: 32.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionAustralia: 4.62% in 2017Papua New Guinea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateAustralia: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Papua New Guinea: 23.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAustralia: 26.5 million people in 2023Papua New Guinea: 10.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthAustralia: 0.99% a year in 2023Papua New Guinea: 1.8% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAustralia: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAustralia: 87.7% in 2025Papua New Guinea: 15.8% in 2025
- Median ageAustralia: 37.8 years in 2023Papua New Guinea: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAustralia: 17.4% in 2023Papua New Guinea: 3.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateAustralia: 5.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Papua New Guinea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personAustralia: $61,370 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $2,665 in 2025
- GDP growthAustralia: 2% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 3.9% a year in 2024
- InflationAustralia: 2.8% a year in 2025Papua New Guinea: 4.4% a year in 2025
- Government debtAustralia: 51.9% of GDP in 2025Papua New Guinea: 51.6% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsAustralia: $35.3B in 2025Papua New Guinea: $110M in 2025
- Military spending per personAustralia: $1,316 in 2025Papua New Guinea: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingAustralia: 4.9% of government spending in 2025Papua New Guinea: 1.6% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelAustralia: 60,000 people in 2020Papua New Guinea: 4,000 people in 2020
- National powerAustralia: 0.6% of world capability in 2022Papua New Guinea: 0.03% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAustralia: 0.44% of the labour force in 2020Papua New Guinea: 0.12% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAustralia: 826 million TIV in 2025Papua New Guinea: 9 million TIV in 2023