Korea, Rep.'s military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 10.79% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 1.85 percentage points from 12.64% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 10.79% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 11.17% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 12.64% | 2015 |
| Highest | 20.31% | 1995 |
| Lowest | 9.66% | 2022 |
| Average since 2016 | 11.4% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 20.31% | 1995 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2024 (from 11.26% to 10.79%).
Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.57 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.89 percentage points in 1999. 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 downward, about 0.22 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 55% 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, Korea, Rep. had the 23rd highest value of the 149 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Korea, Rep. | 10.79% | 2025 |
| World | 6.63% | 2024 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 5.44% | 2024 |
| High income | 6.99% | 2024 |
Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2025 ranking
- Central African Republic — 20th of 149: 12.46%
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 21st of 149: 11.16%
- Bahrain — 22nd of 149: 10.8%
- Mauritania — 24th of 149: 10.75%
- Guinea — 25th of 149: 10.63%
- Morocco — 26th of 149: 10.28%
What this measures
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure
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 31 values
| Year | Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 10.79 |
| 2024 | 11.26 |
| 2023 | 11.23 |
| 2022 | 9.66 |
| 2021 | 10.87 |
| 2020 | 11.17 |
| 2019 | 11.85 |
| 2018 | 12.25 |
| 2017 | 12.33 |
| 2016 | 12.62 |
| 2015 |
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in nearby economies
More public sector data for Korea, Rep.
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 222 million (2025)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 47.77 billion (2025)
- Military expenditure (current LCU) — 67.92 trillion (2025)
- Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.6% (2025)
- Net incurrence of liabilities, total (current LCU) — 51.22 trillion (2024)
- Net incurrence of liabilities, total (% of GDP) — 2% (2024)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 33.54 trillion (2024)
- Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.31% (2024)
- Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -45.65 trillion (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Korea, Rep.'s military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?
- 10.79% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1995?
- It is down 9.52 percentage points from 20.31% in 1995. The highest value was 20.31% in 1995 and the lowest 9.66% in 2022.
- How does Korea, Rep. rank?
- 23rd highest of 149 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Korea, Rep.?
- In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 0.47 percentage points on 2024 (from 11.26% to 10.79%). Across the 29 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2024), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.77 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.XPND.ZS, 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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