Canada: Military expenditure (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Canada's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 25% on 2024 (from 41.93 billion to 52.4 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +4.2% and a typical year strayed about 7.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 25% in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.1% in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.61 billion a year. A straight line explains 84% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 51.1 billion for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 8.64 billion, against 11.74 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Canada had the 77th highest value of the 150 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Canada in the 2025 ranking

• Australia — 74th of 150: 54.81 billion
• Albania — 75th of 150: 54.11 billion
• Kyrgyz Republic — 76th of 150: 52.51 billion
• Guyana — 78th of 150: 51.82 billion
• Jamaica — 79th of 150: 45.62 billion
• Romania — 80th of 150: 43.45 billion

What this measures

Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)

Limitations: SIPRI strives to compile reliable, consistent military expenditure data by assessing multiple sources, but accuracy depends on the quality and transparency of those sources. Challenges arise from two key issues: whether reported figures reflect actual spending and how closely they match SIPRI’s definition. While data is generally accurate in developed and many developing countries, weak governance, corruption, and secret transfers in others can lead to major discrepancies. SIPRI sometimes makes estimates, when sources conflict or lack coverage, introducing uncertainty, especially for countries like China or the UAE.

All 66 values

Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies

• United States — 954.39 billion (2025)

More public sector data for Canada

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 83 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 37.49 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.63% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 312 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 3.69% (2025)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 121.6 billion (2024)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 3.91% (2024)
• Central government debt, total (current LCU) — 1.99 trillion (2024)
• Central government debt, total (% of GDP) — 64.13% (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Canada's military expenditure (current LCU)?

52.4 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 3,074% from 1.65 billion in 1960 (5.46% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 52.4 billion in 2025 and the lowest 1.65 billion in 1960.

How does Canada rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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