Singapore vs South Korea
Singapore vs South Korea: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 3.05% of GDP in Singapore and 2.6% of GDP in South Korea, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Singapore, by 0.44 percentage points, or 1.17 times that in South Korea.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Singapore has been higher since 2023, when it overtook South Korea.
- In 2025, Singapore ranked 27 and South Korea ranked 34 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Singapore | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.05 | 2.6 |
| 2024 | 2.8 | 2.54 |
| 2023 | 2.77 | 2.6 |
| 2022 | 2.36 | 2.58 |
| 2021 | 2.52 | 2.62 |
| 2020 | 2.81 | 2.64 |
| 2019 | 2.77 | 2.52 |
| 2018 | 2.81 | 2.36 |
| 2017 | 2.97 | 2.3 |
| 2016 | 3.09 | 2.34 |
| 2015 | 3.05 | 2.38 |
| 2014 | 3.05 | 2.41 |
| 2013 | 3.04 | 2.39 |
| 2012 | 3.11 | 2.39 |
| 2011 | 3.19 | 2.37 |
| 2010 | 3.38 | 2.36 |
| 2009 | 3.88 | 2.5 |
| 2008 | 3.85 | 2.39 |
| 2007 | 3.6 | 2.27 |
| 2006 | 3.92 | 2.3 |
| 2005 | 4.28 | 2.28 |
| 2004 | 4.38 | 2.17 |
| 2003 | 4.84 | 2.18 |
| 2002 | 4.89 | 2.17 |
| 2001 | 4.8 | 2.28 |
| 2000 | 4.51 | 2.31 |
| 1999 | 5.21 | 2.49 |
| 1998 | 5.21 | 2.79 |
| 1997 | 4.45 | 2.66 |
| 1996 | 4.26 | 2.74 |
| 1995 | 4.18 | 2.89 |
| 1994 | 3.79 | 3.19 |
| 1993 | 4.09 | 3.42 |
| 1992 | 4.47 | 3.69 |
| 1991 | 4.45 | 3.71 |
| 1990 | 4.63 | 4 |
| 1989 | 4.49 | 4.29 |
| 1988 | 4.55 | 4.28 |
| 1987 | 4.87 | 4.47 |
| 1986 | 5.44 | 4.95 |
| 1985 | 5.66 | 5.23 |
| 1984 | 4.7 | 5.26 |
| 1983 | 4.07 | 5.73 |
| 1982 | 4.65 | 6.24 |
| 1981 | 4.74 | 6.42 |
| 1980 | 4.64 | 6.4 |
| 1979 | 4.65 | 5.53 |
| 1978 | 5.2 | 6.37 |
| 1977 | 5.68 | 6.04 |
| 1976 | 5.04 | 5.91 |
| 1975 | 4.65 | 4.88 |
| 1974 | 4.29 | 4.54 |
| 1973 | 4.71 | 4.04 |
| 1972 | 5.09 | 5.01 |
| 1971 | 5.64 | 4.74 |
| 1970 | 5.4 | 4.4 |
| 1969 | – | 4.69 |
| 1968 | – | 4.73 |
| 1967 | – | 4.69 |
| 1966 | – | 4.69 |
| 1965 | – | 4.41 |
| 1964 | – | 4.13 |
| 1963 | – | 4.82 |
| 1962 | – | 6.87 |
| 1961 | – | 6.73 |
| 1960 | – | 7.16 |
| 1959 | – | 7.64 |
| 1958 | – | 7.43 |
| 1957 | – | 6.8 |
| 1956 | – | 8.33 |
| 1955 | – | 6.24 |
| 1954 | – | 5.85 |
| 1953 | – | 2.36 |
- 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
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 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
- Military share of state spendingSingapore: 18% of government spending in 2025South Korea: 10.8% of government spending 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