Japan vs South Africa: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 1.41% of GDP in Japan and 0.74% of GDP in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Japan, by 0.67 percentage points, or 1.91 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · SIPRI

JapanSouth AfricaSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

Japan has been higher since 2018, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2025, Japan ranked 88 and South Africa ranked 128 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

Year	Japan	South Africa
2025	1.41	0.74
2024	1.3	0.76
2023	1.1	0.8
2022	0.97	0.85
2021	1.03	0.84
2020	0.99	0.96
2019	0.97	0.88
2018	0.94	0.89
2017	0.89	0.94
2016	0.91	0.97
2015	0.93	1.01
2014	0.94	1.02
2013	0.93	1.03
2012	0.95	1.03
2011	0.97	1
2010	0.94	1
2009	0.96	1.09
2008	0.9	1.04
2007	0.88	1.06
2006	0.89	1.15
2005	0.91	1.24
2004	0.92	1.36
2003	0.93	1.47
2002	0.93	1.53
2001	0.92	1.48
2000	0.9	1.39
1999	0.92	1.27
1998	0.91	1.38
1997	0.89	1.58
1996	0.88	1.76
1995	0.89	2.12
1994	0.89	2.56
1993	0.95	2.5
1992	0.95	2.82
1991	0.94	3.22
1990	0.94	3.9
1989	0.94	4.36
1988	0.95	4.62
1987	0.97	4.19
1986	0.96	3.82
1985	0.96	3.7
1984	0.96	3.7
1983	0.95	3.61
1982	0.93	3.61
1981	0.92	3.64
1980	0.91	3.31
1979	0.91	3.86
1978	0.89	4.56
1977	0.89	5.26
1976	0.89	4.73
1975	0.91	3.88
1974	0.86	3.09
1973	0.82	2.65
1972	0.84	2.37
1971	0.82	2.46
1970	0.77	2.33
1969	0.77	2.61
1968	0.79	2.76
1967	0.84	2.79
1966	0.88	2.71
1965	0.9	2.63
1964	0.88	2.7
1963	0.9	2.07
1962	0.88	2.26
1961	0.92	1.47
1960	1.08	0.95
1959	1.26	0.88
1958	1.43	0.98
1957	1.5	1.3
1956	1.75	1.29
1955	2.1	1.22
1954	2.19	1.2
1953	2.03	1.35
1952	2.07	1.74
1951	–	1.62

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 South Africa: Military spending

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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