Defense Spending as % of GDP by Country (2025)
Ukraine spent the most on its military relative to its economy in 2025, at 39.56% of GDP, followed by Algeria at 8.83% and Israel at 7.81%.
Key takeaways
- Ukraine had the highest military burden in 2025, spending 39.56% of GDP ($77.6bn) on its military.
- Algeria (8.83% of GDP, $24.1bn) and Israel (7.81% of GDP, $43.7bn) rank second and third by burden.
- The %-of-GDP ranking is a different order from the absolute-dollar ranking: Russia spent $158.2bn but ranks 4th by burden at 7.5% of GDP.
- Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Jordan, and South Caucasus rivals Azerbaijan and Armenia, cluster between roughly 4.5% and 6.5% of GDP.
- Mali (3.87% of GDP, $0.9bn) closes out the top 12, showing high burden isn't limited to large economies.
Verdict
Ukraine carried the world's highest military burden in 2025 at 39.56% of GDP ($77.6bn), more than four times Algeria's second-place 8.83%. Measuring spending against GDP instead of raw dollars flips the order for several countries — Russia's $158.2bn outspends everyone on this list yet ranks only 4th by burden.
At a glance
| Highest military burden | Ukraine, 39.56% of GDP$77.6bn in constant 2024 US$ |
|---|---|
| 2nd highest burden | Algeria, 8.83% of GDP$24.1bn |
| 3rd highest burden | Israel, 7.81% of GDP$43.7bn |
| Largest dollar spender in top 12 | Russia, $158.2bnbut ranks 4th by burden at 7.5% of GDP |
| Year covered | 2025constant 2024 US$ |
Ukraine spent more on its military relative to the size of its economy than any other country in 2025, devoting 39.56% of GDP to defense — more than four times the share of the next-highest country, Algeria, at 8.83% of GDP.
01 Which country spends the highest share of GDP on defense in 2025?
Ukraine tops the 2025 military-burden ranking at 39.56% of GDP, equivalent to $77.6bn in constant 2024 US dollars. That share is a function of Ukraine's wartime spending against a wartime-contracted economy, not simply a large defense budget — Russia, by contrast, spent far more in absolute terms ($158.2bn) but a smaller 7.5% of its GDP. Algeria (8.83% of GDP, $24.1bn) and Israel (7.81% of GDP, $43.7bn) round out the top three by burden.
Ranked by military spending as a share of GDP for 2025 — a different order from the absolute-dollar ranking.
02 Top 12 countries by military spending as % of GDP
The table below ranks the 12 countries with the highest 2025 military burden — spending as a percentage of their own GDP — alongside each country's spending in constant 2024 US dollars.
| Rank | Country | % of GDP | Spending (constant 2024 US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | 39.56% | $77.6bn |
| 2 | Algeria | 8.83% | $24.1bn |
| 3 | Israel | 7.81% | $43.7bn |
| 4 | Russia | 7.5% | $158.2bn |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | 6.48% | $81.5bn |
| 6 | Azerbaijan | 6.47% | $4.7bn |
| 7 | Armenia | 6.09% | $1.6bn |
| 8 | Oman | 5.68% | $5.9bn |
| 9 | Kuwait | 4.69% | $7.9bn |
| 10 | Jordan | 4.56% | $2.5bn |
| 11 | Poland | 4.5% | $42.5bn |
| 12 | Mali | 3.87% | $0.9bn |
03 Why % of GDP is a different ranking than absolute dollars
Ranking by share of GDP measures economic strain, not firepower, and the two rankings diverge sharply. Russia's $158.2bn outspends every country on this list in dollar terms, yet its 7.5% of GDP puts it fourth by burden, behind Ukraine, Algeria, and Israel. Saudi Arabia spent $81.5bn — more than Ukraine's $77.6bn — but at 6.48% of GDP that burden ranks fifth, well below Ukraine's 39.56%. Smaller economies like Armenia ($1.6bn, 6.09% of GDP) and Mali ($0.9bn, 3.87% of GDP) would not appear near the top of any dollar-based list, but they carry burdens comparable to or exceeding much larger spenders once measured against the size of their own economies.
04 Regional patterns: conflict zones, the Gulf, and the South Caucasus
- Active or recent conflict — Ukraine (39.56% of GDP), Israel (7.81% of GDP), and Russia (7.5% of GDP) occupy three of the top four spots, reflecting direct war spending against contracted or strained economies.
- The Gulf and Levant — Saudi Arabia (6.48%), Oman (5.68%), Kuwait (4.69%), and Jordan (4.56%) form a cluster of high-burden Gulf and neighboring states, each spending between roughly 4.5% and 6.5% of GDP.
- The South Caucasus — Azerbaijan (6.47% of GDP) and Armenia (6.09% of GDP) sit almost back-to-back, consistent with their ongoing military rivalry.
- Outside these clusters — Algeria (8.83%) posts the second-highest burden overall despite no active interstate conflict in 2025, while Poland (4.5%) and Mali (3.87%) round out the top 12 from opposite ends of the economic-size spectrum.
05 How military burden is calculated
Military burden is a country's military expenditure divided by its GDP for the same year, expressed as a percentage. It differs from absolute spending, which simply totals a country's defense budget in dollars regardless of economic size. The figures above are drawn from SIPRI country-level data for 2025 and expressed in constant 2024 US dollars; where a value combines multiple SIPRI entries, it is our calculation from SIPRI country data, not a total SIPRI itself publishes. For the complete set of countries and metrics, see the full 2025 world rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which country spends the highest percentage of GDP on its military in 2025?
- Ukraine, at 39.56% of GDP ($77.6bn in constant 2024 US dollars).
- Is the %-of-GDP ranking the same as the ranking by dollar amount?
- No — the two lists put countries in a different order. Russia, for example, spent $158.2bn — more than any other country in the top 12 — but ranks 4th by burden at 7.5% of GDP.
- How much did Israel and Algeria spend on defense in 2025?
- Israel spent $43.7bn (7.81% of GDP) and Algeria spent $24.1bn (8.83% of GDP), ranking third and second respectively by military burden.
- How is military burden calculated?
- Military burden is military expenditure divided by GDP for the same year, expressed as a percentage — a measure of economic strain rather than absolute spending.
defensebudget.org
Defense spending data, sourced from SIPRI
defensebudget.org tracks military expenditure for 160 countries using the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Pages are generated from that dataset and reviewed before publication.