Singapore vs South Korea
Singapore vs South Korea: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending in 2025: 18% of government spending in Singapore and 10.8% of government spending in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Singapore, by 7.2 percentage points, or 1.67 times that in South Korea.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1995.
- In 2025, Singapore ranked 9 and South Korea ranked 24 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Singapore | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 10.8 |
| 2024 | 19 | 11.3 |
| 2023 | 18.3 | 11.2 |
| 2022 | 15.8 | 9.7 |
| 2021 | 15.4 | 10.9 |
| 2020 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
| 2019 | 19.7 | 11.9 |
| 2018 | 20 | 12.3 |
| 2017 | 21.6 | 12.3 |
| 2016 | 19.8 | 12.6 |
| 2015 | 21 | 12.6 |
| 2014 | 23.9 | 12.8 |
| 2013 | 27.6 | 12.6 |
| 2012 | 31.4 | 12.7 |
| 2011 | 32.6 | 13 |
| 2010 | 32.2 | 13.2 |
| 2009 | 23.4 | 12.8 |
| 2008 | 28 | 12.5 |
| 2007 | 39.2 | 12.1 |
| 2006 | 30.9 | 12.3 |
| 2005 | 33.7 | 12.6 |
| 2004 | 30.6 | 11.7 |
| 2003 | 30.1 | 12.2 |
| 2002 | 30.4 | 13.7 |
| 2001 | 26.5 | 13.5 |
| 2000 | 27.4 | 14.4 |
| 1999 | 31.8 | 14.5 |
| 1998 | 29.3 | 16.4 |
| 1997 | 30.4 | 18.2 |
| 1996 | 23.2 | 18.5 |
| 1995 | 29.4 | 20.3 |
| 1994 | 33 | – |
| 1993 | 27.2 | – |
| 1992 | 29.7 | – |
| 1991 | 27.5 | – |
| 1990 | 29.9 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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
Singapore vs South Korea
Health
- Life expectancySingapore: 83.7 years in 2023South Korea: 84.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySingapore: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySingapore: 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterSingapore: 100% in 2022South Korea: 99.3% in 2022
- DepressionSingapore: 3.44% in 2017South Korea: 3.17% in 2017
- Suicide rateSingapore: 7.3 per 100,000 people in 2017South Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSingapore: 5.79 million people in 2023South Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthSingapore: 0.81% a year in 2023South Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSingapore: 0.94 births per woman in 2023South Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSingapore: 100% in 2025South Korea: 81.2% in 2025
- Median ageSingapore: 35.1 years in 2023South Korea: 44.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSingapore: 13.1% in 2023South Korea: 18.3% in 2023
- Net migration rateSingapore: 4.7 per 1,000 people in 2023South Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSingapore: 3.05% of GDP in 2025South Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSingapore: $16.9B in 2025South Korea: $48.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personSingapore: $2,980 in 2025South Korea: $924 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSingapore: 59,000 people in 2020South Korea: 569,000 people in 2020
- National powerSingapore: 0.25% of world capability in 2022South Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSingapore: 1.72% of the labour force in 2020South Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSingapore: 57 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSingapore: 79 million TIV in 2025South Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025