Military spending as a share of GDP in Canada
Canada: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.9% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.9%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
126th
of 172 countries
All-time high
23.7%
in 1943
All-time low
0.1%
in 1920
Years of data
100
1920–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Canada, 1920–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Canada is 0.9%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Canada peaked at 23.7% in 1943 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1920.
Canada ranks 126th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0.1% | — |
| 1921 | 0.2% | +21.6% |
| 1922 | 0.2% | +2.3% |
| 1923 | 0.2% | +0.9% |
| 1924 | 0.2% | -7.7% |
| 1925 | 0.2% | +12.4% |
| 1926 | 0.2% | -1.5% |
| 1927 | 0.2% | +9.7% |
| 1928 | 0.2% | +4.2% |
| 1929 | 0.2% | +5.0% |
| 1930 | 0.2% | +6.8% |
| 1931 | 0.2% | +5.6% |
| 1932 | 0.2% | +5.0% |
| 1933 | 0.2% | -1.9% |
| 1934 | 0.3% | +20.5% |
| 1935 | 0.3% | +12.9% |
| 1936 | 0.3% | -0.2% |
| 1937 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 1938 | 0.4% | +9.0% |
| 1939 | 1.3% | +241.0% |
| 1940 | 7.1% | +439.8% |
| 1941 | 8.7% | +23.0% |
| 1942 | 15.9% | +83.2% |
| 1943 | 23.7% | +48.8% |
| 1944 | 20.0% | -15.6% |
| 1945 | 11.5% | -42.5% |
| 1946 | 7.9% | -31.0% |
| 1947 | 1.6% | -80.3% |
| 1948 | 1.1% | -31.9% |
| 1949 | 1.4% | +28.8% |
| 1950 | 1.6% | +14.2% |
| 1951 | 2.9% | +82.6% |
| 1952 | 4.8% | +69.2% |
| 1953 | 4.9% | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 4.7% | -5.4% |
| 1955 | 3.9% | -15.7% |
| 1956 | 3.8% | -2.7% |
| 1957 | 3.7% | -3.2% |
| 1958 | 3.3% | -10.6% |
| 1959 | 2.8% | -15.6% |
| 1960 | 2.5% | -10.3% |
| 1961 | 2.6% | +4.3% |
| 1962 | 2.5% | -4.3% |
| 1963 | 2.3% | -7.8% |
| 1964 | 2.2% | -4.5% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | -9.4% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | -8.4% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | +4.0% |
| 1968 | 1.8% | -6.3% |
| 1969 | 1.6% | -8.7% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -7.4% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -4.6% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | -4.9% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -6.1% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +17.3% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 1.3% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | -5.2% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | -10.7% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -8.9% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -10.9% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -7.6% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -7.1% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +16.4% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -13.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -10.3% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +22.5% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 9.9% | 1.1% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.6% | 1.6% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More economy & growth data for Canada
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8812 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 5.51 % change on previous year (2022)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 36,221 current US$ per person (2022)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.8344 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 47,143 current LCU per person (2022)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5637 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Canada?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Canada was 0.9% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7% in 1943.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1920.
- How does Canada rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Canada ranks 126th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 100 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).