Belgium vs France: Military spending as a share of GDP
Belgium
2.0%
in 2025
France
2.0%
in 2025
Belgium rank
74th
France rank
72nd
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Belgium
- France
How they compare
France currently reports 2.0% against 2.0% in Belgium, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 73 shared years of data; in 1953 it was France ahead.
Belgium ranks 74th and France ranks 72nd of 166 countries.
France has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | France | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.0% | 6.1% | 2.2% | France |
| 1960s | 3.2% | 4.6% | 1.4% | France |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 3.2% | 0.2% | France |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 3.1% | 0.1% | France |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 2.6% | 0.8% | France |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 2.0% | 0.8% | France |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.9% | 0.9% | France |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 2.0% | 0.7% | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Belgium or France?
- France, at 2.0% against 2.0% in Belgium as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Belgium and France?
- 0.0%, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and France?
- 73 years are reported by both, from 1953 to 2025.
- How do Belgium and France rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 74th and France ranks 72nd 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.