South Korea vs Spain: Military spending

Military spending in 2025: 2.6% of GDP in South Korea and 2.13% of GDP in Spain, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 0.47 percentage points, or 1.22 times that in Spain.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · SIPRI

South KoreaSpainSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1954.
In 2025, South Korea ranked 34 and Spain ranked 51 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of GDP · SIPRI

Year	South Korea	Spain
2025	2.6	2.13
2024	2.54	1.46
2023	2.6	1.54
2022	2.58	1.43
2021	2.62	1.37
2020	2.64	1.36
2019	2.52	1.23
2018	2.36	1.25
2017	2.3	1.22
2016	2.34	1.13
2015	2.38	1.26
2014	2.41	1.25
2013	2.39	1.27
2012	2.39	1.42
2011	2.37	1.33
2010	2.36	1.38
2009	2.5	1.36
2008	2.39	1.37
2007	2.27	1.36
2006	2.3	1.37
2005	2.28	1.39
2004	2.17	1.43
2003	2.18	1.42
2002	2.17	1.46
2001	2.28	1.63
2000	2.31	1.73
1999	2.49	1.76
1998	2.79	1.76
1997	2.66	1.72
1996	2.74	1.81
1995	2.89	1.92
1994	3.19	2
1993	3.42	2.01
1992	3.69	2.04
1991	3.71	2.13
1990	4	2.29
1989	4.29	2.36
1988	4.28	2.49
1987	4.47	2.62
1986	4.95	2.63
1985	5.23	2.96
1984	5.26	2.97
1983	5.73	2.94
1982	6.24	2.66
1981	6.42	2.58
1980	6.4	2.49
1979	5.53	2.5
1978	6.37	2.36
1977	6.04	2.31
1976	5.91	2.32
1975	4.88	2
1974	4.54	2.21
1973	4.04	2.11
1972	5.01	2.32
1971	4.74	2.11
1970	4.4	2.29
1969	4.69	2.43
1968	4.73	2.3
1967	4.69	1.85
1966	4.69	2.08
1965	4.41	1.89
1964	4.13	1.93
1963	4.82	1.97
1962	6.87	2.27
1961	6.73	2.03
1960	7.16	2.25
1959	7.64	1.91
1958	7.43	1.93
1957	6.8	2.24
1956	8.33	2.26
1955	6.24	2.31
1954	5.85	2.29
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

South Korea vs Spain: Military spending

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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