Germany vs Netherlands: Military spending as a share of GDP
Germany
2.3%
in 2025
Netherlands
2.2%
in 2025
Germany rank
58th
Netherlands rank
61st
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Germany
- Netherlands
How they compare
Germany currently reports 2.3% against 2.2% in Netherlands, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 70 shared years of data; in 1956 it was Netherlands ahead.
Germany ranks 58th and Netherlands ranks 61st of 166 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 3 and Netherlands in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.6% | 5.0% | 1.4% | Netherlands |
| 1960s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 0.3% | Germany |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 0.3% | Germany |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 0.1% | Germany |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.9% | 0.2% | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.1% | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.0% | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.0% | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Germany or Netherlands?
- Germany, at 2.3% against 2.2% in Netherlands as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Germany and Netherlands?
- 0.1%, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Netherlands?
- 70 years are reported by both, from 1956 to 2025.
- How do Germany and Netherlands rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 58th and Netherlands ranks 61st 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.