South Korea vs United Arab Emirates: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending: 10.8% of government spending in South Korea in 2025 and 17% of government spending in United Arab Emirates in 2014, by SIPRI estimates. In 2014 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 4.2 percentage points, or 1.33 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

South KoreaUnited Arab EmiratesSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1997.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	South Korea	United Arab Emirates
2025	10.8	–
2024	11.3	–
2023	11.2	–
2022	9.7	–
2021	10.9	–
2020	11.2	–
2019	11.9	–
2018	12.3	–
2017	12.3	–
2016	12.6	–
2015	12.6	–
2014	12.8	17
2013	12.6	19.9
2012	12.7	17.4
2011	13	17.6
2010	13.2	18.7
2009	12.8	15.6
2008	12.5	16.7
2007	12.1	18.6
2006	12.3	20.6
2005	12.6	23.2
2004	11.7	26
2003	12.2	23.4
2002	13.7	22.9
2001	13.5	22.3
2000	14.4	26.2
1999	14.5	20.7
1998	16.4	20.6
1997	18.2	19.2
1996	18.5	–
1995	20.3	–

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

South Korea vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Korea: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022