Japan vs Singapore
Japan vs Singapore: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 1.41% of GDP in Japan and 3.05% of GDP in Singapore, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Singapore, by 1.63 percentage points, or 2.16 times that in Japan.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1970.
- In 2025, Japan ranked 88 and Singapore ranked 27 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Japan | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.41 | 3.05 |
| 2024 | 1.3 | 2.8 |
| 2023 | 1.1 | 2.77 |
| 2022 | 0.97 | 2.36 |
| 2021 | 1.03 | 2.52 |
| 2020 | 0.99 | 2.81 |
| 2019 | 0.97 | 2.77 |
| 2018 | 0.94 | 2.81 |
| 2017 | 0.89 | 2.97 |
| 2016 | 0.91 | 3.09 |
| 2015 | 0.93 | 3.05 |
| 2014 | 0.94 | 3.05 |
| 2013 | 0.93 | 3.04 |
| 2012 | 0.95 | 3.11 |
| 2011 | 0.97 | 3.19 |
| 2010 | 0.94 | 3.38 |
| 2009 | 0.96 | 3.88 |
| 2008 | 0.9 | 3.85 |
| 2007 | 0.88 | 3.6 |
| 2006 | 0.89 | 3.92 |
| 2005 | 0.91 | 4.28 |
| 2004 | 0.92 | 4.38 |
| 2003 | 0.93 | 4.84 |
| 2002 | 0.93 | 4.89 |
| 2001 | 0.92 | 4.8 |
| 2000 | 0.9 | 4.51 |
| 1999 | 0.92 | 5.21 |
| 1998 | 0.91 | 5.21 |
| 1997 | 0.89 | 4.45 |
| 1996 | 0.88 | 4.26 |
| 1995 | 0.89 | 4.18 |
| 1994 | 0.89 | 3.79 |
| 1993 | 0.95 | 4.09 |
| 1992 | 0.95 | 4.47 |
| 1991 | 0.94 | 4.45 |
| 1990 | 0.94 | 4.63 |
| 1989 | 0.94 | 4.49 |
| 1988 | 0.95 | 4.55 |
| 1987 | 0.97 | 4.87 |
| 1986 | 0.96 | 5.44 |
| 1985 | 0.96 | 5.66 |
| 1984 | 0.96 | 4.7 |
| 1983 | 0.95 | 4.07 |
| 1982 | 0.93 | 4.65 |
| 1981 | 0.92 | 4.74 |
| 1980 | 0.91 | 4.64 |
| 1979 | 0.91 | 4.65 |
| 1978 | 0.89 | 5.2 |
| 1977 | 0.89 | 5.68 |
| 1976 | 0.89 | 5.04 |
| 1975 | 0.91 | 4.65 |
| 1974 | 0.86 | 4.29 |
| 1973 | 0.82 | 4.71 |
| 1972 | 0.84 | 5.09 |
| 1971 | 0.82 | 5.64 |
| 1970 | 0.77 | 5.4 |
| 1969 | 0.77 | – |
| 1968 | 0.79 | – |
| 1967 | 0.84 | – |
| 1966 | 0.88 | – |
| 1965 | 0.9 | – |
| 1964 | 0.88 | – |
| 1963 | 0.9 | – |
| 1962 | 0.88 | – |
| 1961 | 0.92 | – |
| 1960 | 1.08 | – |
| 1959 | 1.26 | – |
| 1958 | 1.43 | – |
| 1957 | 1.5 | – |
| 1956 | 1.75 | – |
| 1955 | 2.1 | – |
| 1954 | 2.19 | – |
| 1953 | 2.03 | – |
| 1952 | 2.07 | – |
- 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
Japan vs Singapore
Health
- Life expectancyJapan: 84.7 years in 2023Singapore: 83.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityJapan: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024Singapore: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityJapan: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Singapore: 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterJapan: 98.7% in 2022Singapore: 100% in 2022
- DepressionJapan: 3.34% in 2017Singapore: 3.44% in 2017
- Suicide rateJapan: 15.7 per 100,000 people in 2017Singapore: 7.3 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationJapan: 124 million people in 2023Singapore: 5.79 million people in 2023
- Population growthJapan: -0.48% a year in 2023Singapore: 0.81% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateJapan: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Singapore: 0.94 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationJapan: 92.3% in 2025Singapore: 100% in 2025
- Median ageJapan: 49 years in 2023Singapore: 35.1 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overJapan: 29.6% in 2023Singapore: 13.1% in 2023
- Net migration rateJapan: 1.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Singapore: 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsJapan: $59.5B in 2025Singapore: $16.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personJapan: $504 in 2025Singapore: $2,980 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingJapan: 3.8% of government spending in 2025Singapore: 18% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelJapan: 261,000 people in 2020Singapore: 59,000 people in 2020
- National powerJapan: 2.47% of world capability in 2022Singapore: 0.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersJapan: 0.38% of the labour force in 2020Singapore: 1.72% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsJapan: 1.72 billion TIV in 2025Singapore: 57 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsJapan: 28 million TIV in 2025Singapore: 79 million TIV in 2025