Military Spending by Country in 1956
In 1956, United States had the world's largest military budget at $499.7 billion, while United States spent the highest share of its economy on defense at 9.9% of GDP.
Data updated: July 7, 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Country | USD (millions) | Percent of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $499,722M | 9.90% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | $56,375M | 8.56% |
| 3 | France | $31,298M | 6.46% |
| 4 | Germany | $21,812M | 3.40% |
| 5 | Canada | $15,340M | 5.69% |
| 6 | Italy | $9,593M | 3.17% |
| 7 | Netherlands | $8,806M | 5.79% |
| 8 | Japan | $7,161M | 1.75% |
| 9 | Australia | $5,204M | 3.67% |
| 10 | Belgium | $4,440M | 3.56% |
| 11 | Spain | $4,027M | 2.26% |
| 12 | Argentina | $3,605M | — |
| 13 | India | $3,046M | 2.02% |
| 14 | Denmark | $2,235M | 3.03% |
| 15 | Norway | $1,606M | 3.52% |
| 16 | Greece | $1,525M | 5.94% |
| 17 | Peru | $1,427M | 2.98% |
| 18 | Israel | $1,325M | — |
| 19 | New Zealand | $1,228M | 3.11% |
| 20 | Sudan | $1,170M | 1.12% |
| 21 | Turkey | $1,082M | — |
| 22 | Portugal | $1,025M | 2.48% |
| 23 | South Korea | $739M | 8.33% |
| 24 | Mexico | $737M | 0.74% |
| 25 | Pakistan | $630M | 5.03% |
| 26 | Myanmar | $386M | — |
| 27 | South Africa | $264M | 1.29% |
| 28 | Chile | $200M | 2.30% |
| 29 | Guatemala | $148M | 1.27% |
| 30 | Morocco | $122M | 1.18% |
| 31 | El Salvador | $95M | — |
| 32 | Luxembourg | $88M | 1.90% |
| 33 | Honduras | $33M | 1.12% |
| 34 | Bolivia | $31M | 0.36% |
| 35 | Sri Lanka | $26M | 0.68% |
| 36 | Costa Rica | $0M | 0.00% |
| 37 | Iceland | $0M | 0.00% |
| 38 | Venezuela | — | 2.75% |
Data source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. Values are in constant 2024 US dollars.