Japan vs United States: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 1.41% of GDP in Japan and 3.12% of GDP in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 1.71 percentage points, or 2.21 times that in Japan.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · SIPRI

JapanUnited StatesSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1952.
In 2025, Japan ranked 88 and United States ranked 23 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

Year	Japan	United States
2025	1.41	3.12
2024	1.3	3.43
2023	1.1	3.29
2022	0.97	3.3
2021	1.03	3.4
2020	0.99	3.64
2019	0.97	3.41
2018	0.94	3.3
2017	0.89	3.3
2016	0.91	3.4
2015	0.93	3.46
2014	0.94	3.68
2013	0.93	4.02
2012	0.95	4.46
2011	0.97	4.82
2010	0.94	4.9
2009	0.96	4.88
2008	0.9	4.45
2007	0.88	4.07
2006	0.89	4.04
2005	0.91	4.09
2004	0.92	4.02
2003	0.93	3.83
2002	0.93	3.45
2001	0.92	3.12
2000	0.9	3.11
1999	0.92	3.09
1998	0.91	3.2
1997	0.89	3.41
1996	0.88	3.56
1995	0.89	3.86
1994	0.89	4.22
1993	0.95	4.6
1992	0.95	4.97
1991	0.94	4.88
1990	0.94	5.61
1989	0.94	5.87
1988	0.95	6.07
1987	0.97	6.42
1986	0.96	6.63
1985	0.96	6.45
1984	0.96	6.24
1983	0.95	6.32
1982	0.93	6.81
1981	0.92	5.65
1980	0.91	5.15
1979	0.91	4.95
1978	0.89	4.94
1977	0.89	5.16
1976	0.89	5.19
1975	0.91	5.62
1974	0.86	5.95
1973	0.82	5.89
1972	0.84	6.52
1971	0.82	6.94
1970	0.77	8.03
1969	0.77	8.63
1968	0.79	9.27
1967	0.84	9.42
1966	0.88	8.44
1965	0.9	7.59
1964	0.88	8.05
1963	0.9	8.83
1962	0.88	9.33
1961	0.92	9.16
1960	1.08	8.99
1959	1.26	9.44
1958	1.43	10.07
1957	1.5	9.99
1956	1.75	9.9
1955	2.1	10.16
1954	2.19	11.74
1953	2.03	13.58
1952	2.07	13.86
1951	–	10.17
1950	–	5.08
1949	–	5.27

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 United States: Military spending

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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