Military spending as a share of GDP in Japan
Japan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.4%
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
101st
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.2%
in 1954
All-time low
0.8%
in 1969
Years of data
74
1952–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Japan, 1952–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of gdp in Japan stood at 1.4%.
That represents a change of up 9.0% on the previous year and up 52.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Japan peaked at 2.2% in 1954 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1969.
Japan ranks 101st of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Japan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 2.1% | — |
| 1953 | 2.0% | -1.9% |
| 1954 | 2.2% | +8.0% |
| 1955 | 2.1% | -4.1% |
| 1956 | 1.7% | -17.0% |
| 1957 | 1.5% | -14.3% |
| 1958 | 1.4% | -4.3% |
| 1959 | 1.3% | -11.7% |
| 1960 | 1.1% | -14.5% |
| 1961 | 0.9% | -15.2% |
| 1962 | 0.9% | -3.7% |
| 1963 | 0.9% | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | -4.9% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +6.6% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 1.0% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 0.9% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 0.9% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.0% | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | +13.1% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | +18.0% |
| 2025 | 1.4% | +9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 8 |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More economy & growth data for Japan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.4463 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.8869 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2166 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 7,320 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 42.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 37.72 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 19.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1.45 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 49,023 current LCU per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Japan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Japan was 1.4% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1954.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1969.
- How does Japan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Japan ranks 101st out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.