Military spending as a share of GDP in Germany
Germany: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.0%
Change on year
up 12.8%
World rank
122nd
of 172 countries
All-time high
70.2%
in 1944
All-time low
0.2%
in 1922
Years of data
195
1816–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Germany, 1816–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Germany stood at 1.0%.
That represents a change of up 12.8% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Germany peaked at 70.2% in 1944 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1922.
Germany ranks 122nd 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1816 | 0.7% | — |
| 1817 | 0.7% | -11.0% |
| 1818 | 0.7% | -1.5% |
| 1819 | 0.7% | +11.6% |
| 1820 | 0.8% | +4.8% |
| 1821 | 0.8% | +9.6% |
| 1822 | 0.8% | -2.5% |
| 1823 | 0.8% | +3.2% |
| 1824 | 0.8% | -0.8% |
| 1825 | 0.8% | -6.1% |
| 1826 | 0.8% | +0.4% |
| 1827 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 1828 | 0.8% | +6.2% |
| 1829 | 0.8% | +1.9% |
| 1830 | 0.7% | -9.6% |
| 1831 | 0.9% | +15.9% |
| 1832 | 0.9% | -1.1% |
| 1833 | 0.9% | +1.9% |
| 1834 | 0.8% | -8.3% |
| 1835 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 1836 | 0.7% | -12.2% |
| 1837 | 0.8% | +6.9% |
| 1838 | 0.7% | -5.8% |
| 1839 | 0.7% | +2.3% |
| 1840 | 0.8% | +11.5% |
| 1841 | 0.8% | -1.8% |
| 1842 | 0.8% | -2.0% |
| 1843 | 0.8% | +3.7% |
| 1844 | 0.8% | -2.5% |
| 1845 | 0.8% | -0.2% |
| 1846 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| 1847 | 0.7% | -4.3% |
| 1848 | 0.7% | -9.9% |
| 1849 | 0.7% | +7.0% |
| 1850 | 0.7% | -6.5% |
| 1851 | 0.7% | +9.6% |
| 1852 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 1853 | 0.7% | -4.1% |
| 1854 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 1855 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 1856 | 0.7% | -1.7% |
| 1857 | 0.7% | -5.6% |
| 1858 | 0.7% | +5.0% |
| 1859 | 0.7% | +9.2% |
| 1860 | 0.8% | +2.0% |
| 1861 | 0.7% | -9.1% |
| 1862 | 0.7% | +0.5% |
| 1863 | 0.6% | -8.3% |
| 1864 | 0.9% | +34.0% |
| 1865 | 0.6% | -25.5% |
| 1866 | 0.6% | -4.3% |
| 1867 | 0.7% | +10.0% |
| 1868 | 0.8% | +17.4% |
| 1869 | 0.9% | +11.4% |
| 1870 | 3.0% | +239.8% |
| 1871 | 1.5% | -51.1% |
| 1872 | 1.2% | -16.6% |
| 1873 | 1.2% | +2.8% |
| 1874 | 1.2% | -4.4% |
| 1875 | 1.3% | +5.0% |
| 1876 | 1.4% | +12.4% |
| 1877 | 1.3% | -11.2% |
| 1878 | 1.4% | +14.3% |
| 1879 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 1880 | 1.3% | -7.6% |
| 1881 | 1.3% | +1.9% |
| 1882 | 1.3% | -0.5% |
| 1883 | 1.3% | +3.3% |
| 1884 | 1.4% | +2.2% |
| 1885 | 1.4% | -1.3% |
| 1886 | 1.5% | +7.3% |
| 1887 | 1.5% | +5.7% |
| 1888 | 1.7% | +12.1% |
| 1889 | 1.7% | -3.2% |
| 1890 | 1.9% | +11.3% |
| 1891 | 1.7% | -10.8% |
| 1892 | 1.7% | +0.5% |
| 1893 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 1894 | 1.6% | +0.6% |
| 1895 | 1.7% | +2.7% |
| 1896 | 1.6% | -4.1% |
| 1897 | 1.6% | +2.7% |
| 1898 | 1.6% | -1.3% |
| 1899 | 1.6% | -2.6% |
| 1900 | 1.7% | +7.0% |
| 1901 | 1.6% | -5.1% |
| 1902 | 1.6% | +0.8% |
| 1903 | 1.6% | -1.1% |
| 1904 | 1.6% | -2.1% |
| 1905 | 1.6% | -1.1% |
| 1906 | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| 1907 | 1.5% | -1.2% |
| 1908 | 1.6% | +5.3% |
| 1909 | 1.8% | +9.2% |
| 1910 | 1.6% | -7.1% |
| 1911 | 1.6% | +0.6% |
| 1912 | 1.7% | +4.8% |
| 1913 | 2.0% | +17.7% |
| 1914 | 8.8% | +334.1% |
| 1915 | 28.0% | +217.4% |
| 1916 | 27.4% | -2.3% |
| 1917 | 33.6% | +22.6% |
| 1918 | 39.6% | +18.0% |
| 1919 | 0.3% | -99.3% |
| 1920 | 0.2% | -21.3% |
| 1921 | 0.2% | +4.9% |
| 1922 | 0.2% | -21.3% |
| 1923 | 1.9% | +909.5% |
| 1924 | 0.6% | -69.9% |
| 1925 | 0.5% | -6.0% |
| 1926 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 1927 | 0.5% | +3.6% |
| 1928 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 1929 | 0.5% | +1.2% |
| 1930 | 0.5% | +3.6% |
| 1931 | 0.6% | +10.0% |
| 1932 | 0.7% | +13.3% |
| 1933 | 1.5% | +128.5% |
| 1934 | 2.4% | +53.3% |
| 1935 | 5.0% | +109.5% |
| 1936 | 6.1% | +23.5% |
| 1937 | 8.0% | +30.4% |
| 1938 | 10.8% | +35.8% |
| 1939 | 23.5% | +116.8% |
| 1940 | 39.7% | +68.9% |
| 1941 | 48.4% | +22.0% |
| 1942 | 56.7% | +17.1% |
| 1943 | 62.9% | +10.8% |
| 1944 | 70.2% | +11.7% |
| 1945 | 18.3% | -73.9% |
| 1955 | 1.8% | -90.2% |
| 1956 | 1.9% | +4.0% |
| 1957 | 1.8% | -2.5% |
| 1958 | 1.7% | -8.1% |
| 1959 | 1.9% | +14.5% |
| 1960 | 1.9% | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 2.1% | +12.2% |
| 1962 | 2.5% | +16.3% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 2.3% | -6.2% |
| 1967 | 2.3% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | -6.5% |
| 1969 | 2.2% | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | -8.1% |
| 1971 | 2.1% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | +11.3% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +4.9% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | -3.9% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 2.5% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | -6.2% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -6.1% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 2.0% | -7.2% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 2.0% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | -2.1% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 1.7% | -7.5% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -7.3% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -11.9% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -5.1% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -13.0% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -8.5% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +10.5% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 1820s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.5% | 0.3% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.9% | 0.5% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1940s | 49.4% | 18.3% | 70.2% | 6 |
| 1950s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 5 |
| 1960s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 8.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6446 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 38,996 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 3.92 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.5704 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 34,510 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.4868 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.4802 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Germany?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Germany was 1.0% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 1944.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1922.
- How does Germany rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 122nd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 195 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).