Military spending as a share of GDP in Australia
Australia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.9%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
78th
of 166 countries
All-time high
5.2%
in 1952
All-time low
1.6%
in 2013
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Australia, 1950–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Australia recorded 1.9% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Australia peaked at 5.2% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2013.
Australia ranks 78th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.9% | — |
| 1951 | 3.7% | +29.8% |
| 1952 | 5.2% | +38.7% |
| 1953 | 4.8% | -7.3% |
| 1954 | 4.0% | -17.3% |
| 1955 | 3.9% | -2.7% |
| 1956 | 3.7% | -4.9% |
| 1957 | 3.3% | -9.6% |
| 1958 | 3.3% | -1.9% |
| 1959 | 3.1% | -4.6% |
| 1960 | 2.4% | -23.6% |
| 1961 | 2.4% | +1.9% |
| 1962 | 2.4% | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | +8.2% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +11.5% |
| 1966 | 3.5% | +16.9% |
| 1967 | 3.8% | +9.9% |
| 1968 | 3.8% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 3.4% | -11.8% |
| 1970 | 3.0% | -12.4% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -6.8% |
| 1972 | 2.7% | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | -11.4% |
| 1974 | 2.3% | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 2.2% | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 2.5% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 2.4% | -6.6% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -9.1% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 1.9% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 1.9% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.8% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +10.2% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.8% | 2.9% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.0% | 2.4% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0532 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 3,463 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.0822 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 5,351 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.046 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 2,994 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 5,104 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -4.23 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Australia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Australia was 1.9% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1952.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2013.
- How does Australia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Australia ranks 78th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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 — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.