Military Spending by Country in 1950
In 1950, United States had the world's largest military budget at $194.6 billion, while United Kingdom spent the highest share of its economy on defense at 7.2% of GDP.
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | USD (millions) | Percent of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $194,625M | 5.08% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | $37,972M | 7.21% |
| 3 | France | $16,268M | 4.65% |
| 4 | Italy | $7,488M | — |
| 5 | Netherlands | $5,174M | — |
| 6 | Argentina | $4,448M | 2.91% |
| 7 | Canada | $4,366M | 2.43% |
| 8 | Australia | $3,193M | 2.88% |
| 9 | Spain | $2,968M | — |
| 10 | Belgium | $2,455M | — |
| 11 | Denmark | $1,110M | 1.66% |
| 12 | Greece | $991M | 6.01% |
| 13 | Peru | $974M | 2.83% |
| 14 | Norway | $835M | 2.37% |
| 15 | Portugal | $699M | 2.34% |
| 16 | Mexico | $568M | 0.86% |
| 17 | Luxembourg | $42M | 1.34% |
| 18 | Costa Rica | $0M | 0.00% |
| 19 | Iceland | $0M | 0.00% |
| 20 | Chile | — | 2.64% |
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars.