India vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Military spending as a share of GDP

India
2.3%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2.4%
in 2025
India rank
55th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
53rd

Military spending as a share of GDP over time

  • India
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
246810195019872025

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 2.4% against 2.3% in India, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 70 shared years of data; in 1956 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.

India ranks 55th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 53rd of 166 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade India United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1950s 2.1% 7.9% 5.7% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1960s 3.2% 6.5% 3.3% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1970s 3.3% 5.0% 1.7% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 3.6% 5.0% 1.4% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 2.8% 3.2% 0.4% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2000s 2.8% 2.4% 0.4% India
2010s 2.6% 2.2% 0.4% India
2020s 2.4% 2.2% 0.2% India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, India or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 2.4% against 2.3% in India as of 2025.
What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
0.1%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
70 years are reported by both, from 1956 to 2025.
How do India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
India ranks 55th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 53rd of 166 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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.

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India vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/military-spending-as-a-share-of-gdp-sipri/india/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,523 data points, 1949–2025
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.