Norway vs Sweden
Norway vs Sweden: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 3.28% of GDP in Norway and 2.47% of GDP in Sweden, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Norway, by 0.81 percentage points, or 1.33 times that in Sweden.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Norway has been higher since 2002.
- In 2025, Norway ranked 18 and Sweden ranked 38 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Norway | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.28 | 2.47 |
| 2024 | 2.23 | 1.99 |
| 2023 | 1.82 | 1.52 |
| 2022 | 1.46 | 1.34 |
| 2021 | 1.68 | 1.2 |
| 2020 | 1.97 | 1.15 |
| 2019 | 1.84 | 1.1 |
| 2018 | 1.72 | 1.04 |
| 2017 | 1.71 | 1.03 |
| 2016 | 1.62 | 1.06 |
| 2015 | 1.5 | 1.07 |
| 2014 | 1.46 | 1.14 |
| 2013 | 1.41 | 1.12 |
| 2012 | 1.39 | 1.14 |
| 2011 | 1.44 | 1.11 |
| 2010 | 1.51 | 1.19 |
| 2009 | 1.6 | 1.17 |
| 2008 | 1.37 | 1.17 |
| 2007 | 1.46 | 1.3 |
| 2006 | 1.45 | 1.32 |
| 2005 | 1.58 | 1.41 |
| 2004 | 1.84 | 1.43 |
| 2003 | 1.97 | 1.59 |
| 2002 | 2.08 | 1.63 |
| 2001 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| 2000 | 1.7 | 1.82 |
| 1999 | 2.04 | 1.88 |
| 1998 | 2.16 | 1.9 |
| 1997 | 2.02 | 1.94 |
| 1996 | 2.16 | 2.13 |
| 1995 | 2.31 | 2.15 |
| 1994 | 2.68 | 2.25 |
| 1993 | 2.63 | 2.36 |
| 1992 | 2.91 | 2.44 |
| 1991 | 2.7 | 2.45 |
| 1990 | 2.83 | 2.57 |
| 1989 | 2.86 | 2.51 |
| 1988 | 2.84 | 2.59 |
| 1987 | 2.98 | 2.65 |
| 1986 | 2.81 | 2.59 |
| 1985 | 2.8 | 2.67 |
| 1984 | 2.54 | 2.67 |
| 1983 | 2.8 | 2.74 |
| 1982 | 2.75 | 2.85 |
| 1981 | 2.62 | 2.95 |
| 1980 | 2.62 | 2.92 |
| 1979 | 2.77 | 3.12 |
| 1978 | 2.84 | 3.15 |
| 1977 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| 1976 | 3.12 | 3 |
| 1975 | 3.21 | 3.08 |
| 1974 | 3.04 | 3.22 |
| 1973 | 3.13 | 3.28 |
| 1972 | 3.29 | 3.41 |
| 1971 | 3.39 | 3.41 |
| 1970 | 3.47 | 3.36 |
| 1969 | 3.6 | 3.46 |
| 1968 | 3.61 | 3.48 |
| 1967 | 3.51 | 3.61 |
| 1966 | 3.57 | 3.86 |
| 1965 | 3.4 | 3.91 |
| 1964 | 3.12 | 3.87 |
| 1963 | 3.21 | 3.97 |
| 1962 | 3.24 | 3.86 |
| 1961 | 3 | 3.72 |
| 1960 | 3.2 | 3.78 |
| 1959 | 3.58 | – |
| 1958 | 3.51 | – |
| 1957 | 3.59 | – |
| 1956 | 3.52 | – |
| 1955 | 3.93 | – |
| 1954 | 5.01 | – |
| 1953 | 5.08 | – |
| 1952 | 4.01 | – |
| 1951 | 3.05 | – |
| 1950 | 2.37 | – |
| 1949 | 2.71 | – |
- 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
Norway vs Sweden
Health
- Life expectancyNorway: 83.3 years in 2023Sweden: 83.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorway: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Sweden: 0.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorway: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNorway: 98.8% in 2022Sweden: 99.7% in 2022
- DepressionNorway: 3.77% in 2017Sweden: 4.49% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorway: 9.3 per 100,000 people in 2017Sweden: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorway: 5.52 million people in 2023Sweden: 10.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorway: 1.11% a year in 2023Sweden: 0.56% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNorway: 1.41 births per woman in 2023Sweden: 1.43 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNorway: 83.6% in 2025Sweden: 89.1% in 2025
- Median ageNorway: 39.5 years in 2023Sweden: 39.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorway: 18.5% in 2023Sweden: 20.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorway: 9.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Sweden: 5.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsNorway: $16.1B in 2025Sweden: $15B in 2025
- Military spending per personNorway: $3,040 in 2025Sweden: $1,549 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNorway: 6.7% of government spending in 2025Sweden: 5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNorway: 25,000 people in 2020Sweden: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerNorway: 0.14% of world capability in 2022Sweden: 0.19% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNorway: 0.85% of the labour force in 2020Sweden: 0.27% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorway: 407 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 146 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNorway: 415 million TIV in 2025Sweden: 235 million TIV in 2025