South Korea vs United States
South Korea vs United States: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.6% of GDP in South Korea and 3.12% of GDP in United States, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 0.52 percentage points, or 1.2 times that in South Korea.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher since 1982, when it overtook South Korea.
- In 2025, South Korea ranked 34 and United States ranked 23 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | South Korea | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6 | 3.12 |
| 2024 | 2.54 | 3.43 |
| 2023 | 2.6 | 3.29 |
| 2022 | 2.58 | 3.3 |
| 2021 | 2.62 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 2.64 | 3.64 |
| 2019 | 2.52 | 3.41 |
| 2018 | 2.36 | 3.3 |
| 2017 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
| 2016 | 2.34 | 3.4 |
| 2015 | 2.38 | 3.46 |
| 2014 | 2.41 | 3.68 |
| 2013 | 2.39 | 4.02 |
| 2012 | 2.39 | 4.46 |
| 2011 | 2.37 | 4.82 |
| 2010 | 2.36 | 4.9 |
| 2009 | 2.5 | 4.88 |
| 2008 | 2.39 | 4.45 |
| 2007 | 2.27 | 4.07 |
| 2006 | 2.3 | 4.04 |
| 2005 | 2.28 | 4.09 |
| 2004 | 2.17 | 4.02 |
| 2003 | 2.18 | 3.83 |
| 2002 | 2.17 | 3.45 |
| 2001 | 2.28 | 3.12 |
| 2000 | 2.31 | 3.11 |
| 1999 | 2.49 | 3.09 |
| 1998 | 2.79 | 3.2 |
| 1997 | 2.66 | 3.41 |
| 1996 | 2.74 | 3.56 |
| 1995 | 2.89 | 3.86 |
| 1994 | 3.19 | 4.22 |
| 1993 | 3.42 | 4.6 |
| 1992 | 3.69 | 4.97 |
| 1991 | 3.71 | 4.88 |
| 1990 | 4 | 5.61 |
| 1989 | 4.29 | 5.87 |
| 1988 | 4.28 | 6.07 |
| 1987 | 4.47 | 6.42 |
| 1986 | 4.95 | 6.63 |
| 1985 | 5.23 | 6.45 |
| 1984 | 5.26 | 6.24 |
| 1983 | 5.73 | 6.32 |
| 1982 | 6.24 | 6.81 |
| 1981 | 6.42 | 5.65 |
| 1980 | 6.4 | 5.15 |
| 1979 | 5.53 | 4.95 |
| 1978 | 6.37 | 4.94 |
| 1977 | 6.04 | 5.16 |
| 1976 | 5.91 | 5.19 |
| 1975 | 4.88 | 5.62 |
| 1974 | 4.54 | 5.95 |
| 1973 | 4.04 | 5.89 |
| 1972 | 5.01 | 6.52 |
| 1971 | 4.74 | 6.94 |
| 1970 | 4.4 | 8.03 |
| 1969 | 4.69 | 8.63 |
| 1968 | 4.73 | 9.27 |
| 1967 | 4.69 | 9.42 |
| 1966 | 4.69 | 8.44 |
| 1965 | 4.41 | 7.59 |
| 1964 | 4.13 | 8.05 |
| 1963 | 4.82 | 8.83 |
| 1962 | 6.87 | 9.33 |
| 1961 | 6.73 | 9.16 |
| 1960 | 7.16 | 8.99 |
| 1959 | 7.64 | 9.44 |
| 1958 | 7.43 | 10.07 |
| 1957 | 6.8 | 9.99 |
| 1956 | 8.33 | 9.9 |
| 1955 | 6.24 | 10.16 |
| 1954 | 5.85 | 11.74 |
| 1953 | 2.36 | 13.58 |
| 1952 | – | 13.86 |
| 1951 | – | 10.17 |
| 1950 | – | 5.08 |
| 1949 | – | 5.27 |
- 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 United States
Health
- Life expectancySouth Korea: 84.3 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterSouth Korea: 99.3% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionSouth Korea: 3.17% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Korea: 81.2% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Korea: 44.5 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Korea: 18.3% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
- GDP per personSouth Korea: $37,470 in 2025United States: $67,950 in 2025
- GDP growthSouth Korea: 1.1% a year in 2025United States: 2.3% a year in 2025
- InflationSouth Korea: 2.1% a year in 2025United States: 2.7% a year in 2025
- Government debtSouth Korea: 49.6% of GDP in 2024United States: 124.4% of GDP in 2025
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Korea: $48.9B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Korea: $924 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Korea: 569,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerSouth Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025United States: 14 billion TIV in 2025