China vs Germany: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending in 2025: 5.1% of government spending in China and 4.5% of government spending in Germany, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 0.6 percentage points, or 1.14 times that in Germany.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

ChinaGermanySIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1991.
In 2025, China ranked 75 and Germany ranked 87 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	China	Germany
2025	5.1	4.5
2024	5.1	3.7
2023	5	3.1
2022	4.9	2.7
2021	4.9	2.6
2020	4.9	2.7
2019	4.9	2.7
2018	5	2.6
2017	5.3	2.5
2016	5.5	2.5
2015	5.6	2.5
2014	6	2.5
2013	6	2.6
2012	6	2.7
2011	6.2	2.6
2010	7	2.6
2009	7.4	2.7
2008	7.6	2.7
2007	9.6	2.6
2006	10.2	2.6
2005	10.2	2.6
2004	10.9	2.7
2003	11	2.7
2002	11.2	2.7
2001	11.4	2.7
2000	11.3	2.8
1999	12.5	2.8
1998	13.1	2.9
1997	14.1	2.9
1996	15	2.9
1995	15.2	2.7
1994	14.1	3.2
1993	14.8	3.5
1992	16.9	3.9
1991	14.3	4.2
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

China vs Germany: Military share of state spending

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

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