India vs South Korea: Military spending per person
Military spending per person in 2025: $63 in India and $924 in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by $861, or 15 times that in India.
IndiaSouth Korea
Watch it change on the mapUS dollars per person · SIPRI
Latest figures
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Country | Latest | 10 years before | Rank in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | $63 2025 | $39 | 90 of 151 |
| South Korea | $924 2025 | $720 | 25 of 151 |
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1988.
- In 2025, India ranked 90 and South Korea ranked 25 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Year | India | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $63 | $924 |
| 2024 | $59 | $920 |
| 2023 | $57 | $924 |
| 2022 | $56 | $895 |
| 2021 | $54 | $980 |
| 2020 | $52 | $890 |
| 2019 | $52 | $853 |
| 2018 | $48 | $835 |
| 2017 | $48 | $762 |
| 2016 | $42 | $721 |
| 2015 | $39 | $720 |
| 2014 | $39 | $747 |
| 2013 | $37 | $689 |
| 2012 | $37 | $647 |
| 2011 | $40 | $634 |
| 2010 | $37 | $579 |
| 2009 | $32 | $507 |
| 2008 | $28 | $540 |
| 2007 | $24 | $577 |
| 2006 | $21 | $525 |
| 2005 | $20 | $464 |
| 2004 | $18 | $375 |
| 2003 | $15 | $334 |
| 2002 | $14 | $299 |
| 2001 | $14 | $276 |
| 2000 | $14 | $296 |
| 1999 | $14 | $261 |
| 1998 | $12 | $227 |
| 1997 | $12 | $324 |
| 1996 | $10 | $361 |
| 1995 | $10 | $356 |
| 1994 | $10 | $300 |
| 1993 | $9 | $277 |
| 1992 | $9 | $261 |
| 1991 | $10 | $247 |
| 1990 | $12 | $231 |
| 1989 | $13 | $219 |
| 1988 | $14 | $181 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence for each person living there, in US dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.
- 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