Military Spending by Country in 1955
In 1955, United States had the world's largest military budget at $493.3 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 | $493,268M | 10.16% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | $57,438M | 9.09% |
| 3 | France | $24,487M | 5.38% |
| 4 | Germany | $22,903M | 3.83% |
| 5 | Canada | $15,031M | 6.18% |
| 6 | Italy | $9,319M | 3.25% |
| 7 | Netherlands | $8,222M | — |
| 8 | Japan | $7,661M | 2.10% |
| 9 | Australia | $5,370M | 3.86% |
| 10 | Belgium | $4,566M | 3.78% |
| 11 | Argentina | $3,852M | — |
| 12 | Spain | $3,795M | 2.31% |
| 13 | Denmark | $2,330M | 3.18% |
| 14 | Norway | $1,644M | 3.93% |
| 15 | Peru | $1,261M | 2.77% |
| 16 | Greece | $1,181M | 5.11% |
| 17 | Turkey | $1,169M | — |
| 18 | Portugal | $1,033M | 2.60% |
| 19 | Mexico | $721M | 0.79% |
| 20 | Israel | $687M | — |
| 21 | South Korea | $515M | 6.24% |
| 22 | Myanmar | $385M | — |
| 23 | South Africa | $235M | 1.22% |
| 24 | Chile | $158M | 2.30% |
| 25 | Guatemala | $140M | 1.31% |
| 26 | Luxembourg | $138M | 3.23% |
| 27 | Bolivia | $42M | 0.32% |
| 28 | Honduras | $30M | 1.10% |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | $22M | 0.55% |
| 30 | Costa Rica | $0M | 0.00% |
| 31 | Iceland | $0M | 0.00% |
| 32 | Pakistan | — | 5.57% |
| 33 | Venezuela | — | 2.58% |
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars.