Military Spending by Country in 1949
In 1949, United States had the world's largest military budget at $181.1 billion, while Greece spent the highest share of its economy on defense at 5.9% of GDP.
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | USD (millions) | Percent of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $181,096M | 5.27% |
| 2 | France | $15,045M | — |
| 3 | Italy | $6,343M | — |
| 4 | Argentina | $5,611M | — |
| 5 | Netherlands | $4,256M | — |
| 6 | Spain | $3,165M | — |
| 7 | Belgium | $2,433M | — |
| 8 | Denmark | $1,182M | — |
| 9 | Norway | $951M | 2.71% |
| 10 | Peru | $897M | 2.90% |
| 11 | Greece | $884M | 5.91% |
| 12 | Portugal | $650M | — |
| 13 | Mexico | $511M | 0.88% |
| 14 | Luxembourg | $29M | — |
| 15 | Costa Rica | $0M | 0.00% |
| 16 | Iceland | $0M | 0.00% |
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars.