Croatia vs Serbia
Croatia vs Serbia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.02% of GDP in Croatia and 2.76% of GDP in Serbia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Serbia, by 0.74 percentage points, or 1.36 times that in Croatia.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Serbia has been higher since 2016, when it overtook Croatia.
- In 2025, Croatia ranked 60 and Serbia ranked 32 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Croatia | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.02 | 2.76 |
| 2024 | 1.86 | 2.67 |
| 2023 | 1.65 | 2.21 |
| 2022 | 1.8 | 2.17 |
| 2021 | 1.97 | 2.73 |
| 2020 | 1.7 | 2.3 |
| 2019 | 1.6 | 2.18 |
| 2018 | 1.54 | 2.02 |
| 2017 | 1.63 | 1.75 |
| 2016 | 1.59 | 1.86 |
| 2015 | 1.75 | 1.7 |
| 2014 | 1.81 | 1.87 |
| 2013 | 1.61 | 1.85 |
| 2012 | 1.66 | 1.92 |
| 2011 | 1.74 | 1.93 |
| 2010 | 1.67 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1.77 | 2.08 |
| 2008 | 1.82 | 2.05 |
| 2007 | 1.61 | 2.16 |
| 2006 | 1.67 | 2.12 |
| 2005 | 1.74 | – |
| 2004 | 1.74 | – |
| 2003 | 2.03 | – |
| 2002 | 2.71 | – |
| 2001 | 2.71 | – |
| 2000 | 3.03 | – |
| 1999 | 4.38 | – |
| 1998 | 5.55 | – |
| 1997 | 7.48 | – |
| 1996 | 8.08 | – |
| 1995 | 9.1 | – |
| 1994 | 11.15 | – |
| 1993 | 10.73 | – |
| 1992 | 7.61 | – |
- 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
Croatia vs Serbia
Health
- Life expectancyCroatia: 78.6 years in 2023Serbia: 76.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityCroatia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Serbia: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityCroatia: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Serbia: 4.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterCroatia: 85.4% in 2007Serbia: 75.1% in 2022
- DepressionCroatia: 2.78% in 2017Serbia: 2.57% in 2017
- Suicide rateCroatia: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Serbia: 12.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationCroatia: 3.9 million people in 2023Serbia: 6.77 million people in 2023
- Population growthCroatia: -0.34% a year in 2023Serbia: -0.44% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateCroatia: 1.47 births per woman in 2023Serbia: 1.5 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationCroatia: 57.8% in 2025Serbia: 62.6% in 2025
- Median ageCroatia: 44.8 years in 2023Serbia: 43.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overCroatia: 22.8% in 2023Serbia: 22.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateCroatia: 2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Serbia: 0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsCroatia: $1.93B in 2025Serbia: $2.55B in 2025
- Military spending per personCroatia: $544 in 2025Serbia: $414 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingCroatia: 4.1% of government spending in 2025Serbia: 6.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelCroatia: 20,000 people in 2020Serbia: 32,000 people in 2020
- National powerCroatia: 0.05% of world capability in 2022Serbia: 0.09% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersCroatia: 1.17% of the labour force in 2020Serbia: 1.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsCroatia: 141 million TIV in 2025Serbia: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsCroatia: 53 million TIV in 2024Serbia: 39 million TIV in 2025