Israel vs South Korea

Israel vs South Korea: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 7.81% of GDP in Israel and 2.6% of GDP in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Israel, by 5.21 percentage points, or 3 times that in South Korea.

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% of GDP · SIPRI

Israel vs South Korea: Military spendingMilitary spending in 2025: 7.81% of GDP in Israel and 2.6% of GDP in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Israel, by 5.21 percentage points, or 3 times that in South Korea.
IsraelSouth KoreaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

  • Israel has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1960.
  • In 2025, Israel ranked 3 and South Korea ranked 34 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

YearIsraelSouth Korea
20257.812.6
20248.472.54
20235.282.6
20224.342.58
20214.812.62
20205.122.64
20194.962.52
20185.132.36
20175.272.3
20165.172.34
20155.282.38
20145.462.41
20135.282.39
20125.312.39
20115.432.37
20105.712.36
20095.922.5
20086.182.39
20076.092.27
20065.812.3
20055.982.28
20046.122.17
20036.22.18
20026.322.17
20016.212.28
20006.022.31
19996.222.49
19986.622.79
19977.082.66
19967.282.74
19957.432.89
199410.123.19
199311.523.42
199210.933.69
199115.593.71
199012.364
198912.454.29
198815.954.28
198716.94.47
198614.774.95
198516.65.23
198416.185.26
198315.555.73
198218.396.24
198120.266.42
198018.926.4
197919.385.53
197822.896.37
197723.096.04
197629.255.91
197530.464.88
197427.664.54
197327.864.04
197220.375.01
197122.84.74
197023.454.4
196919.094.69
196817.434.73
196715.444.69
19669.444.69
19658.574.41
19648.994.13
19639.754.82
19629.166.87
19617.876.73
19607.467.16
1959–7.64
1958–7.43
1957–6.8
1956–8.33
1955–6.24
1954–5.85
1953–2.36
  • 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

Israel vs South Korea

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