Italy: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Italy's military expenditure (current USD) rose 27.2% on 2024 (from 37.85 billion to 48.14 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 10.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 44.7% in 1986 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.9% in 2015. 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 2.24 billion a year. A straight line explains 85% 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.

How it compares

In 2025, Italy had the 12th 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 Italy in the 2025 ranking

• France — 9th of 150: 68.01 billion
• Japan — 10th of 150: 62.16 billion
• Israel — 11th of 150: 48.28 billion
• Korea, Rep. — 13th of 150: 47.77 billion
• Poland — 14th of 150: 46.76 billion
• Spain — 15th of 150: 40.21 billion

What this measures

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 66 values

Military expenditure (current USD) in nearby economies

• Albania — 623.61 million (2025)
• Armenia — 1.73 billion (2025)
• Austria — 6.35 billion (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 4.94 billion (2025)
• Belarus — 1.94 billion (2025)
• Belgium — 14.53 billion (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 231.4 million (2025)
• Bulgaria — 2.59 billion (2025)
• Croatia — 2.1 billion (2025)
• Cyprus — 663.31 million (2025)
• Czechia

More public sector data for Italy

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 566 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 42.68 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.89% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 1.92 billion (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 58.5 billion (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 278.44 billion (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (current LCU) — 213.15 billion (2024)
• Other taxes (current LCU) — 38.15 billion (2024)
• Tax revenue (current LCU) — 563.82 billion (2024)
• Tax revenue (% of GDP) — 25.6% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Italy's military expenditure (current USD)?

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

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 4,670% from 1.01 billion in 1960 (6.13% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 48.14 billion in 2025 and the lowest 1.01 billion in 1960.

How does Italy rank?

12th highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in military expenditure (current USD) unusual for Italy?

In 2025, Italy's military expenditure (current USD) rose 27.2% on 2024 (from 37.85 billion to 48.14 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3% and a typical year strayed about 10.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.CD, 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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