France vs Japan
France vs Japan: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.03% of GDP in France and 1.41% of GDP in Japan, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in France, by 0.62 percentage points, or 1.44 times that in Japan.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- France has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1952.
- In 2025, France ranked 59 and Japan ranked 88 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | France | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.03 | 1.41 |
| 2024 | 2.01 | 1.3 |
| 2023 | 1.95 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | 1.96 | 0.97 |
| 2021 | 1.98 | 1.03 |
| 2020 | 2.02 | 0.99 |
| 2019 | 1.85 | 0.97 |
| 2018 | 1.85 | 0.94 |
| 2017 | 1.85 | 0.89 |
| 2016 | 1.85 | 0.91 |
| 2015 | 1.87 | 0.93 |
| 2014 | 1.86 | 0.94 |
| 2013 | 1.85 | 0.93 |
| 2012 | 1.87 | 0.95 |
| 2011 | 1.89 | 0.97 |
| 2010 | 1.97 | 0.94 |
| 2009 | 2.1 | 0.96 |
| 2008 | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| 2007 | 1.91 | 0.88 |
| 2006 | 1.98 | 0.89 |
| 2005 | 2.03 | 0.91 |
| 2004 | 2.11 | 0.92 |
| 2003 | 2.11 | 0.93 |
| 2002 | 2.06 | 0.93 |
| 2001 | 2.04 | 0.92 |
| 2000 | 2.09 | 0.9 |
| 1999 | 2.2 | 0.92 |
| 1998 | 2.25 | 0.91 |
| 1997 | 2.39 | 0.89 |
| 1996 | 2.44 | 0.88 |
| 1995 | 2.52 | 0.89 |
| 1994 | 2.69 | 0.89 |
| 1993 | 2.72 | 0.95 |
| 1992 | 2.73 | 0.95 |
| 1991 | 2.85 | 0.94 |
| 1990 | 2.85 | 0.94 |
| 1989 | 2.92 | 0.94 |
| 1988 | 3 | 0.95 |
| 1987 | 3.12 | 0.97 |
| 1986 | 3.09 | 0.96 |
| 1985 | 3.14 | 0.96 |
| 1984 | 3.19 | 0.96 |
| 1983 | 3.24 | 0.95 |
| 1982 | 3.22 | 0.93 |
| 1981 | 3.25 | 0.92 |
| 1980 | 3.16 | 0.91 |
| 1979 | 3.14 | 0.91 |
| 1978 | 3.15 | 0.89 |
| 1977 | 3.23 | 0.89 |
| 1976 | 3.16 | 0.89 |
| 1975 | 3.2 | 0.91 |
| 1974 | 3.09 | 0.86 |
| 1973 | 3.14 | 0.82 |
| 1972 | 3.23 | 0.84 |
| 1971 | 3.32 | 0.82 |
| 1970 | 3.46 | 0.77 |
| 1969 | 3.68 | 0.77 |
| 1968 | 4.14 | 0.79 |
| 1967 | 4.3 | 0.84 |
| 1966 | 4.29 | 0.88 |
| 1965 | 4.4 | 0.9 |
| 1964 | 4.54 | 0.88 |
| 1963 | 4.74 | 0.9 |
| 1962 | 5.16 | 0.88 |
| 1961 | 5.3 | 0.92 |
| 1960 | 5.43 | 1.08 |
| 1959 | 5.64 | 1.26 |
| 1958 | 5.69 | 1.43 |
| 1957 | 6.16 | 1.5 |
| 1956 | 6.46 | 1.75 |
| 1955 | 5.39 | 2.1 |
| 1954 | 6.12 | 2.19 |
| 1953 | 7.57 | 2.03 |
| 1952 | 7.23 | 2.07 |
| 1951 | 5.99 | – |
| 1950 | 4.65 | – |
- 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
France vs Japan
Health
- Life expectancyFrance: 83.3 years in 2023Japan: 84.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityFrance: 0.4 per 100 live births in 2024Japan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Japan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterFrance: 99.7% in 2022Japan: 98.7% in 2022
- DepressionFrance: 4.25% in 2017Japan: 3.34% in 2017
- Suicide rateFrance: 12.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Japan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationFrance: 66.4 million people in 2023Japan: 124 million people in 2023
- Population growthFrance: 0.17% a year in 2023Japan: -0.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateFrance: 1.64 births per woman in 2023Japan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationFrance: 78.8% in 2025Japan: 92.3% in 2025
- Median ageFrance: 41.8 years in 2023Japan: 49 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overFrance: 21.8% in 2023Japan: 29.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateFrance: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Japan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsFrance: $64.5B in 2025Japan: $59.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personFrance: $1,021 in 2025Japan: $504 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingFrance: 3.5% of government spending in 2025Japan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelFrance: 304,000 people in 2020Japan: 261,000 people in 2020
- National powerFrance: 1.09% of world capability in 2022Japan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersFrance: 1% of the labour force in 2020Japan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsFrance: 236 million TIV in 2025Japan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsFrance: 3.37 billion TIV in 2025Japan: 28 million TIV in 2025