China vs Sudan
China vs Sudan: Military spending
Military spending: 1.73% of GDP in China in 2025 and 0.93% of GDP in Sudan in 2021, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in China, by 0.65 percentage points, or 1.7 times that in Sudan.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- China has been higher since 2019, when it overtook Sudan.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | China | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.73 | – |
| 2024 | 1.66 | – |
| 2023 | 1.62 | – |
| 2022 | 1.59 | – |
| 2021 | 1.57 | 0.93 |
| 2020 | 1.72 | 0.98 |
| 2019 | 1.65 | 1.63 |
| 2018 | 1.64 | 1.78 |
| 2017 | 1.68 | 3.29 |
| 2016 | 1.73 | 2.28 |
| 2015 | 1.74 | 2.71 |
| 2014 | 1.71 | – |
| 2013 | 1.68 | – |
| 2012 | 1.67 | – |
| 2011 | 1.63 | – |
| 2010 | 1.7 | – |
| 2009 | 1.86 | 5.45 |
| 2008 | 1.69 | 4.98 |
| 2007 | 1.72 | 4.08 |
| 2006 | 1.84 | 3.64 |
| 2005 | 1.85 | 3.31 |
| 2004 | 1.91 | 4.66 |
| 2003 | 1.97 | 1.86 |
| 2002 | 2.03 | 2.67 |
| 2001 | 1.96 | 2.47 |
| 2000 | 1.82 | 4.47 |
| 1999 | 1.86 | 4.01 |
| 1998 | 1.64 | 2.38 |
| 1997 | 1.62 | 0.95 |
| 1996 | 1.64 | 1.27 |
| 1995 | 1.68 | 2.07 |
| 1994 | 1.74 | 3.9 |
| 1993 | 1.99 | 4.92 |
| 1992 | 2.47 | 4.39 |
| 1991 | 2.31 | 4.99 |
| 1990 | 2.45 | 4.81 |
| 1989 | 2.45 | – |
| 1988 | – | 3.55 |
| 1987 | – | 2.55 |
| 1986 | – | 3.23 |
| 1985 | – | 3.4 |
| 1984 | – | 4.09 |
| 1983 | – | 3.27 |
| 1982 | – | 2.44 |
| 1981 | – | 1.78 |
| 1980 | – | 2.3 |
| 1979 | – | 2.59 |
| 1978 | – | 2.04 |
| 1977 | – | 2.62 |
| 1976 | – | 2.67 |
| 1975 | – | 2.25 |
| 1974 | – | 2.57 |
| 1973 | – | 3.16 |
| 1972 | – | 4.19 |
| 1971 | – | 4.6 |
| 1970 | – | 4.95 |
| 1969 | – | 5.2 |
| 1968 | – | 3.75 |
| 1967 | – | 3.66 |
| 1966 | – | 3.53 |
| 1965 | – | 4.12 |
| 1964 | – | 3.14 |
| 1963 | – | 2.15 |
| 1962 | – | 2.06 |
| 1961 | – | 1.85 |
| 1960 | – | 1.92 |
| 1959 | – | 1.71 |
| 1958 | – | 1.52 |
| 1957 | – | 1.64 |
| 1956 | – | 1.12 |
- 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
China vs Sudan
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Sudan: 66.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Sudan: 6.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sudan: 36.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Sudan: 3.78% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Sudan: 5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Sudan: 50 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Sudan: 0.02% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Sudan: 4.32 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Sudan: 34.9% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Sudan: 18.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Sudan: 3.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Sudan: -27 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Sudan: $2.77B in 2021
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Sudan: $8 in 2021
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Sudan: 9.5% of government spending in 2021
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Sudan: 144,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Sudan: 0.37% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Sudan: 1.34% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsChina: 880 million TIV in 2025Sudan: 11 million TIV in 2013