Where Does Canada Rank in Military Spending? (2025)
Canada ranks 16th out of 149 countries in 2025 military spending, at $37.5bn, or 1.4% of the world total.
Key takeaways
- Canada ranks 16th of 149 countries in 2025 military spending, at $37.5bn.
- That figure equals 1.4% of world military spending across all 149 countries in the SIPRI dataset.
- Spain (rank 15, $37.7bn) and Australia (rank 17, $35.3bn) are Canada's closest neighbors, within $0.2bn and $2.2bn respectively.
- The rank 13-to-19 band spans $43.7bn (Israel) to $26.8bn (Turkey), a $16.9bn range across seven positions.
- Share-of-world-total figures are calculated from SIPRI country data, not published by SIPRI as a world total.
Verdict
Canada ranks 16th of 149 countries in 2025 military spending, at $37.5bn, or 1.4% of world military spending. It sits in a tightly bunched band between Spain (15th, $37.7bn) and Australia (17th, $35.3bn); share-of-world figures are our calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total.
At a glance
| Canada's 2025 rank | 16th of 149 |
|---|---|
| Canada's 2025 spending | $37.5bn |
| Share of world total | 1.4%Our calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total |
| Closest peer above | Spain, $37.7bn (rank 15) |
| Closest peer below | Australia, $35.3bn (rank 17) |
| Peer band range (rank 13-19) | $26.8bn – $43.7bn |
Canada ranks 16th of 149 countries in 2025 military spending, according to SIPRI country-level data, at $37.5bn — 1.4% of world military spending, our calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total.
01 Canada's 2025 Rank: 16th of 149
Canada spent $37.5bn on its military in 2025, placing it 16th among the 149 countries tracked in the SIPRI dataset. That position sits Canada in the upper third of all countries by spending, but well outside the top tier of single-country budgets that dominate global totals.
Rank alone doesn't convey how bunched together countries are at this point in the distribution. The next two sections lay out exactly who surrounds Canada at rank 16, and how narrow the dollar gaps are between them.
02 The Peer Set: Who Spends Just Above and Below
Canada's immediate neighbors in the 2025 ranking span ranks 13 through 19 — a seven-country band that includes Israel, Poland, Spain, Canada itself, Australia, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
| Rank | Country | Spending | Share of world total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Israel | $43.7bn | 1.6% |
| 14 | Poland | $42.5bn | 1.6% |
| 15 | Spain | $37.7bn | 1.4% |
| 16 | Canada | $37.5bn | 1.4% |
| 17 | Australia | $35.3bn | 1.3% |
| 18 | Netherlands | $27.0bn | 1% |
| 19 | Turkey | $26.8bn | 1% |
Spain sits directly above Canada at rank 15 with $37.7bn, a difference of just $0.2bn. Australia sits directly below at rank 17 with $35.3bn, a $2.2bn gap. Both differences are small relative to the totals involved, which is typical of this middle segment of the ranking rather than a feature unique to Canada.
03 How Tight Is the Gap? Rank 13 to Rank 19 Compared
Looking at the full band from rank 13 to rank 19, the spread runs from Israel's $43.7bn down to Turkey's $26.8bn — a difference of $16.9bn across seven ranking positions. Canada, in the middle of that band at rank 16, sits within $6.2bn of the top of the band (Israel) and within $10.7bn of the bottom (Turkey).
- Top of the band — Israel at rank 13 spends $43.7bn, $6.2bn more than Canada.
- Bottom of the band — Turkey at rank 19 spends $26.8bn, $10.7bn less than Canada.
- Closest neighbor — Spain at rank 15 spends $37.7bn, only $0.2bn above Canada's $37.5bn.
The share-of-world-total column moves in similarly small increments: from 1.6% at rank 13 down to 1% at rank 19. Each step down the ranking trims roughly a tenth of a percentage point off a country's share, which is why rank position and dollar figures track closely together in this part of the list.
04 Canada's Share of World Military Spending
Canada's $37.5bn represents 1.4% of world military spending — our calculation from SIPRI country-level data, not a total SIPRI itself publishes — the combined spending of all 149 countries in the SIPRI dataset for 2025. That share is identical to Spain's, one rank above, and just 0.1 percentage points ahead of Australia's 1.3% at rank 17.
Figures are reported in SIPRI constant 2024 US dollars, which strip out the effects of inflation and exchange-rate movement so that spending levels can be compared across countries and years on a like-for-like basis.
05 Methodology and Further Reading
Canada's rank and share are derived by sorting all 149 countries in the SIPRI dataset by 2025 military expenditure and calculating each country's spending as a percentage of the summed total.
The world-total figure used to calculate share percentages is our calculation from SIPRI country-level data, not a total SIPRI itself publishes. Treat share-of-world figures as derived, not as an official SIPRI aggregate.
For a closer look at Canada's own budget trend, see Canada defense budget. For the complete country-by-country order this peer set is drawn from, see the 2025 world rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where does Canada rank in military spending in 2025?
- Canada ranks 16th out of 149 countries in 2025, with military spending of $37.5bn.
- What percentage of world military spending is Canada's?
- Canada's $37.5bn is 1.4% of world military spending, calculated across all 149 countries in the SIPRI dataset — our calculation from SIPRI country data, not a SIPRI-published total.
- Which countries rank just above and below Canada?
- Spain ranks 15th with $37.7bn, just above Canada; Australia ranks 17th with $35.3bn, just below.
- How big is the gap between Canada and Israel, the top of its peer band?
- Israel ranks 13th with $43.7bn, $6.2bn more than Canada's $37.5bn at rank 16.
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.