Military spending as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.6%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
45th
of 166 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 1956
All-time low
2.2%
in 2004
Years of data
73
1953–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea, 1953–2025
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 Republic of Korea stood at 2.6%.
That represents a change of up 2.5% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 8.3% in 1956 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2004.
Republic of Korea ranks 45th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 2.4% | — |
| 1954 | 5.9% | +147.7% |
| 1955 | 6.2% | +6.6% |
| 1956 | 8.3% | +33.4% |
| 1957 | 6.8% | -18.4% |
| 1958 | 7.4% | +9.3% |
| 1959 | 7.6% | +2.8% |
| 1960 | 7.2% | -6.3% |
| 1961 | 6.7% | -6.0% |
| 1962 | 6.9% | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 4.8% | -29.8% |
| 1964 | 4.1% | -14.3% |
| 1965 | 4.4% | +6.7% |
| 1966 | 4.7% | +6.3% |
| 1967 | 4.7% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 4.7% | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 4.4% | -6.2% |
| 1971 | 4.7% | +7.5% |
| 1972 | 5.0% | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 4.0% | -19.5% |
| 1974 | 4.5% | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 4.9% | +7.4% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | +21.1% |
| 1977 | 6.0% | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | -13.3% |
| 1980 | 6.4% | +15.8% |
| 1981 | 6.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 6.2% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | -8.2% |
| 1984 | 5.3% | -8.2% |
| 1985 | 5.2% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 4.5% | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 4.3% | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 4.0% | -6.7% |
| 1991 | 3.7% | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 3.2% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -9.4% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -5.1% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | -10.8% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | +5.3% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.4% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +6.7% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 2.6% | +2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.4% | 2.4% | 8.3% | 7 |
| 1960s | 5.3% | 4.1% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.1% | 4.0% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.3% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.5% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2743 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 9,936 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 390.12 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 14.13 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.292 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,578 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 12.06 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 12,437 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Republic of Korea was 2.6% 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 Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 1956.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2004.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Republic of Korea ranks 45th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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.
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.