Military Spending by Country in 1951
In 1951, United States had the world's largest military budget at $416.4 billion, while United States spent the highest share of its economy on defense at 10.2% of GDP.
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | USD (millions) | Percent of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $416,424M | 10.17% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | $44,709M | 8.30% |
| 3 | France | $21,788M | 5.99% |
| 4 | Canada | $8,847M | 4.66% |
| 5 | Italy | $8,483M | 3.78% |
| 6 | Netherlands | $5,437M | — |
| 7 | Australia | $4,586M | 3.74% |
| 8 | Belgium | $3,632M | — |
| 9 | Argentina | $3,015M | — |
| 10 | Spain | $2,808M | — |
| 11 | Denmark | $1,329M | 2.05% |
| 12 | Greece | $1,167M | 6.64% |
| 13 | Norway | $1,155M | 3.05% |
| 14 | Peru | $1,123M | 2.92% |
| 15 | Portugal | $726M | — |
| 16 | Mexico | $576M | 0.76% |
| 17 | South Africa | $268M | 1.62% |
| 18 | Myanmar | $159M | — |
| 19 | Luxembourg | $61M | 1.56% |
| 20 | Honduras | $26M | 0.96% |
| 21 | Sri Lanka | $8M | 0.25% |
| 22 | Costa Rica | $0M | 0.00% |
| 23 | Iceland | $0M | 0.00% |
| 24 | Chile | — | 3.07% |
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars.