Netherlands vs Spain: Military spending as a share of GDP
Netherlands
2.2%
in 2025
Spain
2.1%
in 2025
Netherlands rank
61st
Spain rank
64th
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Netherlands
- Spain
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 2.2% against 2.1% in Spain, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 70 shared years of data; in 1956 it was Netherlands ahead.
Netherlands ranks 61st and Spain ranks 64th of 166 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 5 and Spain in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.0% | 2.1% | 2.9% | Netherlands |
| 1960s | 3.7% | 2.1% | 1.6% | Netherlands |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 0.5% | Netherlands |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 0.1% | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 0.0% | Spain |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.5% | 0.1% | Spain |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.1% | Spain |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 0.1% | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Netherlands or Spain?
- Netherlands, at 2.2% against 2.1% in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Netherlands and Spain?
- 0.1%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Spain?
- 70 years are reported by both, from 1956 to 2025.
- How do Netherlands and Spain rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Netherlands ranks 61st and Spain ranks 64th 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.