Military spending as a share of GDP in China
China: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.3% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
2.3%
Change on year
up 14.9%
World rank
32nd
of 172 countries
All-time high
21.1%
in 1971
All-time low
0.0%
in 1865
Years of data
160
1860–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in China, 1860–2019
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 China is 2.3%, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of up 14.9% on the previous year and up 62.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in China peaked at 21.1% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1865.
That places China 32nd out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1861 | 0.0% | -14.2% |
| 1862 | 0.0% | -8.9% |
| 1863 | 0.0% | -11.9% |
| 1864 | 0.0% | +4.0% |
| 1865 | 0.0% | -12.6% |
| 1866 | 0.0% | +13.3% |
| 1867 | 0.0% | +27.8% |
| 1868 | 0.0% | +9.7% |
| 1869 | 0.0% | +17.9% |
| 1870 | 0.0% | +3.1% |
| 1871 | 0.0% | +11.0% |
| 1872 | 0.0% | +1.9% |
| 1873 | 0.0% | +15.3% |
| 1874 | 0.0% | -8.2% |
| 1875 | 0.0% | +10.4% |
| 1876 | 0.0% | +12.9% |
| 1877 | 0.0% | +2.6% |
| 1878 | 0.0% | +5.8% |
| 1879 | 0.0% | +5.0% |
| 1880 | 0.0% | -6.2% |
| 1881 | 0.0% | +5.4% |
| 1882 | 0.0% | +8.0% |
| 1883 | 0.0% | +1.7% |
| 1884 | 0.0% | +10.2% |
| 1885 | 0.0% | +3.4% |
| 1886 | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 1887 | 0.0% | +0.2% |
| 1888 | 0.0% | +11.9% |
| 1889 | 0.0% | +2.5% |
| 1890 | 0.0% | +6.9% |
| 1891 | 0.0% | -13.8% |
| 1892 | 0.0% | +18.3% |
| 1893 | 0.0% | -6.8% |
| 1894 | 0.0% | +9.1% |
| 1895 | 0.1% | +17.7% |
| 1896 | 0.2% | +341.3% |
| 1897 | 0.2% | +5.4% |
| 1898 | 0.7% | +169.3% |
| 1899 | 0.7% | +5.7% |
| 1900 | 0.6% | -11.6% |
| 1901 | 0.5% | -16.9% |
| 1902 | 0.5% | +4.9% |
| 1903 | 0.5% | +1.7% |
| 1904 | 0.6% | +1.1% |
| 1905 | 0.6% | +4.6% |
| 1906 | 0.6% | -3.4% |
| 1907 | 0.5% | -3.5% |
| 1908 | 0.6% | +2.5% |
| 1909 | 0.6% | +7.2% |
| 1910 | 0.6% | -5.5% |
| 1911 | 0.6% | +1.5% |
| 1912 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 1913 | 1.0% | +72.7% |
| 1914 | 0.6% | -37.3% |
| 1915 | 0.6% | +6.6% |
| 1916 | 0.8% | +21.0% |
| 1917 | 0.7% | -11.9% |
| 1918 | 1.3% | +95.0% |
| 1919 | 1.1% | -17.7% |
| 1920 | 0.9% | -17.2% |
| 1921 | 1.0% | +14.0% |
| 1922 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 1.0% | -2.3% |
| 1924 | 0.9% | -7.9% |
| 1925 | 1.0% | +5.7% |
| 1926 | 1.0% | +3.8% |
| 1927 | 0.3% | -67.9% |
| 1928 | 0.5% | +66.1% |
| 1929 | 0.6% | +8.8% |
| 1930 | 0.5% | -8.2% |
| 1931 | 0.4% | -25.8% |
| 1932 | 0.4% | +5.9% |
| 1933 | 0.6% | +48.1% |
| 1934 | 1.0% | +50.7% |
| 1935 | 0.9% | -5.9% |
| 1936 | 0.9% | -2.6% |
| 1937 | 2.5% | +183.1% |
| 1938 | 0.7% | -73.8% |
| 1939 | 1.0% | +57.3% |
| 1940 | 1.4% | +32.3% |
| 1941 | 1.4% | +5.5% |
| 1942 | 0.3% | -78.2% |
| 1943 | 1.7% | +435.9% |
| 1944 | 1.0% | -39.2% |
| 1945 | 1.3% | +23.7% |
| 1946 | 3.5% | +174.7% |
| 1947 | 1.0% | -69.7% |
| 1948 | 1.9% | +84.0% |
| 1949 | 8.6% | +347.9% |
| 1950 | 9.7% | +13.0% |
| 1951 | 10.1% | +3.3% |
| 1952 | 8.6% | -14.5% |
| 1953 | 7.2% | -16.5% |
| 1954 | 6.8% | -5.6% |
| 1955 | 6.0% | -11.4% |
| 1956 | 11.5% | +91.0% |
| 1957 | 12.8% | +11.5% |
| 1958 | 12.1% | -5.8% |
| 1959 | 12.7% | +4.9% |
| 1960 | 13.5% | +6.8% |
| 1961 | 15.7% | +16.1% |
| 1962 | 18.1% | +15.2% |
| 1963 | 17.4% | -3.8% |
| 1964 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 18.0% | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 18.4% | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 18.8% | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 19.3% | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 19.9% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 20.2% | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 21.1% | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 19.2% | -8.9% |
| 1973 | 17.1% | -11.0% |
| 1974 | 17.6% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 16.3% | -7.4% |
| 1976 | 16.4% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 15.0% | -8.5% |
| 1978 | 14.1% | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 12.0% | -14.4% |
| 1980 | 10.6% | -11.8% |
| 1981 | 6.5% | -38.6% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 6.2% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 4.0% | -35.5% |
| 1985 | 3.5% | -13.0% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | -15.7% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -7.2% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -9.2% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | +8.5% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -15.0% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -20.2% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +7.5% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +19.0% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -26.7% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -15.4% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -8.2% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +11.5% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +14.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.2% | 0.3% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1950s | 9.7% | 6.0% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.6% | 13.5% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.9% | 12.0% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.8% | 2.5% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near China
More economy & growth data for China
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.46 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.31 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3727 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 5,166 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 2.48 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 34,444 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 5.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.577 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in China?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in China was 2.3% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 1971.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1865.
- How does China rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- China ranks 32nd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 — 160 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).