South Korea vs United Kingdom: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending in 2025: 10.8% of government spending in South Korea and 5.4% of government spending in United Kingdom, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 5.3 percentage points, or 1.98 times that in United Kingdom.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

South KoreaUnited KingdomSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1995.
In 2025, South Korea ranked 24 and United Kingdom ranked 69 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	South Korea	United Kingdom
2025	10.8	5.4
2024	11.3	5.6
2023	11.2	4.9
2022	9.7	4.7
2021	10.9	4.5
2020	11.2	4.3
2019	11.9	5.1
2018	12.3	5
2017	12.3	5
2016	12.6	5
2015	12.6	5.1
2014	12.8	5.3
2013	12.6	5.5
2012	12.7	5.6
2011	13	5.7
2010	13.2	5.8
2009	12.8	5.9
2008	12.5	6.1
2007	12.1	6.2
2006	12.3	6.2
2005	12.6	6.3
2004	11.7	6.5
2003	12.2	6.8
2002	13.7	6.9
2001	13.5	6.9
2000	14.4	7
1999	14.5	7.1
1998	16.4	7.2
1997	18.2	7.3
1996	18.5	7.6
1995	20.3	7.6
1994	–	8.3
1993	–	8.7
1992	–	9.4
1991	–	10.5
1990	–	10.4
1989	–	11
1988	–	11.3

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 Kingdom

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Korea: 0 deaths in 2022United Kingdom: 0 deaths in 2022