Afghanistan vs China: Military spending as a share of GDP
Afghanistan
1.8%
in 2021
China
1.7%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
85th
China rank
87th
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Afghanistan
- China
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 1.8% against 1.7% in China, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 18 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 85th and China ranks 87th of 166 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and China in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.8% | 0.4% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.7% | 0.4% | China |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.1% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Afghanistan or China?
- Afghanistan, at 1.8% against 1.7% in China as of 2021.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Afghanistan and China?
- 0.1%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2021.
- How do Afghanistan and China rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Afghanistan ranks 85th and China ranks 87th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.