Switzerland vs United Kingdom: Military share of state spending

Military share of state spending in 2025: 2.4% of government spending in Switzerland and 5.4% of government spending in United Kingdom, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 3.1 percentage points, or 2.31 times that in Switzerland.

Watch it change on the map

% of government spending · SIPRI

SwitzerlandUnited KingdomSIPRI estimate

What the numbers say

United Kingdom has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1988.
In 2025, Switzerland ranked 132 and United Kingdom ranked 69 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.

Every year

% of government spending · SIPRI

Year	Switzerland	United Kingdom
2025	2.4	5.4
2024	2.2	5.6
2023	2.2	4.9
2022	2.2	4.7
2021	2	4.5
2020	2.1	4.3
2019	2.2	5.1
2018	2.1	5
2017	2.1	5
2016	2.1	5
2015	2	5.1
2014	2	5.3
2013	2.2	5.5
2012	2.1	5.6
2011	2.2	5.7
2010	2.2	5.8
2009	2.3	5.9
2008	2.4	6.1
2007	2.4	6.2
2006	2.5	6.2
2005	2.6	6.3
2004	2.6	6.5
2003	2.7	6.8
2002	2.7	6.9
2001	3.1	6.9
2000	3.1	7
1999	3.2	7.1
1998	3.5	7.2
1997	3.6	7.3
1996	3.8	7.6
1995	4.1	7.6
1994	4	8.3
1993	4.1	8.7
1992	4.7	9.4
1991	5.1	10.5
1990	5.5	10.4
1989	5.3	11
1988	5.4	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

Switzerland vs United Kingdom

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSwitzerland: 0 deaths in 2022United Kingdom: 0 deaths in 2022