Global Military Spending 2024: $2,666.6bn Worldwide
In 2024 the world spent $2,666.6bn on the military across 151 countries, with the United States alone accounting for 37.7% of that total.
Key takeaways
- World military spending totalled $2,666.6bn in 2024 across the 151 countries SIPRI reports.
- The United States alone accounted for $1,004.9bn, or 37.7% of the world total.
- The top five spenders — US, China, Russia, UK, Germany — made up 61.6% of world spending; the top ten made up 74.7%.
- Ukraine's $64.8bn represents 33.96% of its GDP, the heaviest burden among the top 10 spenders, versus 3.43% for the US.
- The $2,666.6bn figure is our calculation from SIPRI country data and is a floor, not a complete world total, since some spenders (e.g. North Korea) are absent from the dataset.
Verdict
World military spending reached $2,666.6bn in 2024 across the 151 countries SIPRI reports, with the United States alone responsible for 37.7% of that total. This is our own sum of SIPRI's country-level data, not a figure SIPRI publishes directly, and because some spenders are missing from the dataset it represents a floor on global spending, not the whole world.
At a glance
| World total, 2024 | $2,666.6bnSum of 151 countries SIPRI reports |
|---|---|
| Top spender | United States$1,004.9bn, 37.7% of world total |
| Top 5 share | 61.6%US, China, Russia, UK, Germany |
| Top 10 share | 74.7%Ten largest spenders, 2024 |
| Heaviest GDP burden (top 10) | Ukraine, 33.96% of GDPon $64.8bn spent |
The world spent $2,666.6bn on its militaries in 2024, according to our calculation from SIPRI country-level data covering 151 countries. The United States alone accounted for $1,004.9bn of that — 37.7% of the global total.
01 How much did the world spend on the military in 2024?
Summing SIPRI's country-level military expenditure figures for 2024 gives a world total of $2,666.6bn, drawn from the 151 countries SIPRI tracks that year. This is not a figure SIPRI itself publishes as a single number — it is our own sum of its country data, and it sets a floor rather than a ceiling on true global spending, since some states are missing from the dataset entirely.
The United States is the largest single contributor by a wide margin, spending $1,004.9bn — 37.7% of the $2,666.6bn world total. China is second at $311.9bn, or 11.7% of the total. No other country reaches even 6% of world spending on its own.
02 The top 10 military spenders and their share of the world total
Ten countries account for nearly three-quarters of everything the world spent on its military in 2024. The table below ranks them by 2024 outlay, each country's share of the $2,666.6bn world total, and military spending as a percentage of that country's GDP.
| Rank | Country | 2024 spending | Share of world total | % of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $1,004.9bn | 37.7% | 3.43% |
| 2 | China | $311.9bn | 11.7% | 1.66% |
| 3 | Russia | $149.4bn | 5.6% | 6.87% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | $89.8bn | 3.4% | 2.44% |
| 5 | Germany | $86.1bn | 3.2% | 1.84% |
| 6 | India | $85.6bn | 3.2% | 2.22% |
| 7 | Saudi Arabia | $80.3bn | 3.0% | 6.41% |
| 8 | Ukraine | $64.8bn | 2.4% | 33.96% |
| 9 | France | $63.6bn | 2.4% | 2.01% |
| 10 | Japan | $54.2bn | 2.0% | 1.29% |
Together the ten account for 74.7% of the $2,666.6bn world total, on 2024 SIPRI figures.
03 How concentrated is global military spending among a few countries?
Spending concentrates fast at the top of the list. The five largest spenders — the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany — together account for 61.6% of the $2,666.6bn world total.
- United States alone — 37.7% of the $2,666.6bn world total.
- US + China — 49.4% of world spending, essentially half the global total from two countries.
- Top 5 — 61.6% of world spending, from the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
- Top 10 — 74.7% of world spending.
04 Spending versus GDP: which top spenders carry the heaviest burden?
Dollar totals and economic burden tell different stories. Ukraine spends far less in absolute terms than the top spenders — $64.8bn, 2.4% of the world total — but that sum equals 33.96% of its GDP, by far the heaviest burden among the top 10, reflecting its wartime economy. Russia is next at 6.87% of GDP on $149.4bn of spending, followed by Saudi Arabia at 6.41% of GDP on $80.3bn of spending.
By contrast, the two largest dollar spenders carry comparatively light domestic burdens: the United States spends 3.43% of its GDP and China 1.66%, well below Ukraine, Russia or Saudi Arabia. Japan carries the lightest load among the top 10 at 1.29% of GDP on $54.2bn.
05 What this total does and doesn't include
The $2,666.6bn figure is a sum of the 151 countries SIPRI reports for 2024, not a complete accounting of every state's military budget.
Sum of the 151 countries SIPRI reports for 2024. Some spenders are absent from the dataset (North Korea has no series; several states have gaps), so this is a floor, not the whole world.
Because of these gaps, $2,666.6bn should be read as a minimum bound on 2024 global military spending rather than an exhaustive total. For the full country-by-country breakdown behind these figures, see the 2024 world rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much did the world spend on the military in 2024?
- $2,666.6bn, based on our calculation summing the 151 countries SIPRI reports for 2024.
- What share of global military spending does the United States account for?
- 37.7% of the $2,666.6bn world total, or $1,004.9bn.
- How much of world military spending comes from just the top 5 countries?
- 61.6% of the $2,666.6bn total comes from the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany combined.
- Does the $2,666.6bn total include every country in the world?
- No. It sums the 151 countries SIPRI reports for 2024; some spenders, including North Korea, are absent from the dataset, so it is a floor rather than a complete world total.
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.