OECD members: Military expenditure (current USD)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, OECD members' military expenditure (current USD) rose 4.1% on 2024 (from 1.74 trillion to 1.81 trillion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 5.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 16.8% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.1% 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 83.39 billion a year. A straight line explains 95% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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

• Afghanistan — 278.25 million (2021)
• Algeria — 25.44 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — 1.47 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2.5 billion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7.4 billion (2025)
• Iraq — 6.45 billion (2025)
• Israel — 48.28 billion (2025)
• Jordan — 2.56 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — 8.09 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — 828.3 million (2025)
• Libya

More public sector data for OECD members

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 13.96 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.52% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 29.62 billion (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.58% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -4.68% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 10.63% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 26.38% (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 28.77% (2024)
• Other taxes (% of revenue) — 1.71% (2024)
• Tax revenue (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is OECD members's military expenditure (current USD)?

1.81 trillion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 2,504% from 69.53 billion in 1960 (5.14% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.81 trillion in 2025 and the lowest 69.53 billion in 1960.

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

In 2025, OECD members' military expenditure (current USD) rose 4.1% on 2024 (from 1.74 trillion to 1.81 trillion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 5.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases.

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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