Rankings
Top Military Spending by Country: North Korea Leads in 2026
50 countries ranked·Source: CIA World Factbook·Last updated: 2023
In 2026, military spending by country reveals striking differences in defense priorities. North Korea leads with an astounding 25% of its GDP allocated to military expenditures, followed by Eritrea at 10% and Algeria at 8%. Understanding these figures is crucial as they reflect national security strategies and economic conditions, based on data from the CIA World Factbook.
Key Facts
- North Korea's military spending is the highest in the world at 25% of its GDP.
- Eritrea ranks second with military expenditures accounting for 10% of its GDP.
- Algeria and Israel both allocate 8% of their GDP for military purposes.
- Saudi Arabia's military spending is notable at 7.1% of its GDP.
- These rankings highlight global trends in defense spending and national security priorities.
Top 50 Ranking
| # | Countries | Military Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  North Korea | 25.00% |
| 2 |  Eritrea | 10.00% |
| 3 |  Algeria | 8.00% |
| 4 |  Israel | 8.00% |
| 5 |  Saudi Arabia | 7.10% |
| 6 |  Russia | 7.00% |
| 7 |  Syria | 6.50% |
| 8 |  Oman | 6.00% |
| 9 |  Somalia | 6.00% |
| 10 |  Armenia | 5.50% |
| 11 |  Azerbaijan | 5.10% |
| 12 |  Qatar | 5.00% |
| 13 |  Kuwait | 4.90% |
| 14 |  Burkina Faso | 4.50% |
| 15 |  Jordan | 4.50% |
| 16 |  Poland | 4.50% |
| 17 |  Mali | 4.30% |
| 18 |  Cuba | 4.20% |
| 19 |  Lithuania | 4.00% |
| 20 |  Morocco | 4.00% |
| 21 |  Ukraine | 4.00% |
| 22 |  United Arab Emirates | 4.00% |
| 23 |  Burma | 3.90% |
| 24 |  Latvia | 3.70% |
| 25 |  Burundi | 3.50% |
| 26 |  Djibouti | 3.50% |
| 27 |  Colombia | 3.40% |
| 28 |  Estonia | 3.40% |
| 29 |  Norway | 3.40% |
| 30 |  Afghanistan | 3.30% |
| 31 |  Denmark | 3.20% |
| 32 |  United States | 3.20% |
| 33 |  Bahrain | 3.00% |
| 34 |  Botswana | 3.00% |
| 35 |  Brunei | 3.00% |
| 36 |  Chad | 3.00% |
| 37 |  Kyrgyzstan | 3.00% |
| 38 |  Singapore | 3.00% |
| 39 |  Greece | 2.90% |
| 40 |  Lebanon | 2.90% |
| 41 |  Finland | 2.80% |
| 42 |  Namibia | 2.80% |
| 43 |  Uzbekistan | 2.80% |
| 44 |  Central African Republic | 2.50% |
| 45 |  Iraq | 2.50% |
| 46 |  Netherlands | 2.50% |
| 47 |  Pakistan | 2.50% |
| 48 |  Serbia | 2.50% |
| 49 |  Sweden | 2.50% |
| 50 |  Timor-Leste | 2.50% |
Methodology & Data Source
Data on military spending by country is collected from national budgets and international reports, measuring the percentage of GDP allocated to military expenditures. This information is sourced from the CIA World Factbook.
Cite this data
APA
Bamwor. (2023). Countries by Military Spending 2023. Bamwor World Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-05-17, from https://bamwor.com/en/countries-by-military-spendingBibTeX
@misc{bamwor_countries_by_military_spending_2023_2023,
author = {Bamwor},
title = {Countries by Military Spending 2023},
year = {2023},
url = {https://bamwor.com/en/countries-by-military-spending},
note = {Bamwor World Encyclopedia. Accessed 2026-05-17}
}Download CSVLicense: CC BY 4.0