Military spending as a share of GDP in South Korea
South Korea: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
2.4%
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
30th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.2%
in 1981
All-time low
0.5%
in 1949
Years of data
71
1949–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in South Korea, 1949–2019
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 South Korea stood at 2.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.0% on the previous year and up 37.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in South Korea peaked at 4.2% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1949.
That places South Korea 30th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 71 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 0.5% | — |
| 1950 | 1.3% | +161.4% |
| 1951 | 1.3% | -1.8% |
| 1952 | 1.9% | +51.4% |
| 1953 | 2.4% | +24.6% |
| 1954 | 2.8% | +13.5% |
| 1955 | 2.8% | +1.7% |
| 1956 | 3.2% | +12.9% |
| 1957 | 2.7% | -14.8% |
| 1958 | 2.6% | -3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.7% | +3.9% |
| 1960 | 2.6% | -4.6% |
| 1961 | 2.5% | -4.9% |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | -18.2% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | -8.9% |
| 1965 | 1.5% | -21.8% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | +33.6% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 2.3% | +11.2% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 2.2% | -9.3% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | +8.4% |
| 1972 | 2.3% | -5.7% |
| 1973 | 2.0% | -9.6% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +10.9% |
| 1976 | 2.8% | +19.1% |
| 1977 | 3.2% | +12.0% |
| 1978 | 3.5% | +10.0% |
| 1979 | 3.8% | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 4.2% | +10.7% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | -3.6% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | -13.5% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 3.3% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | -5.3% |
| 1988 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 3.1% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -11.3% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -4.1% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -19.3% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -9.7% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -7.5% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | +9.7% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 2.4% | +6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1950s | 2.4% | 1.3% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.0% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 1.9% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More economy & growth data for South Korea
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1897 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3525 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 12,771 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 0.1898 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 410.21 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 14.86 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate -0.6343 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5723 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 20,732 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 3.67 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in South Korea?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in South Korea was 2.4% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1949.
- How does South Korea rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- South Korea ranks 30th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).