Military spending as a share of GDP in Netherlands
Netherlands: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.2%
Change on year
up 13.1%
World rank
61st
of 166 countries
All-time high
5.8%
in 1956
All-time low
1.1%
in 2015
Years of data
70
1956–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Netherlands, 1956–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 2.2% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
The figure is up 13.1% on the previous year and up 96.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Netherlands peaked at 5.8% in 1956 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2015.
That places Netherlands 61st out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 5.8% | — |
| 1957 | 5.3% | -8.2% |
| 1958 | 4.7% | -11.3% |
| 1959 | 4.0% | -14.7% |
| 1960 | 3.7% | -8.0% |
| 1961 | 4.1% | +10.4% |
| 1962 | 4.1% | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 4.0% | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.9% | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 3.6% | -9.2% |
| 1966 | 3.4% | -5.6% |
| 1967 | 3.5% | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 3.3% | -7.6% |
| 1969 | 3.2% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | -11.2% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 2.8% | +7.2% |
| 1976 | 2.7% | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 3.0% | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | -7.0% |
| 1979 | 2.8% | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | +9.7% |
| 1983 | 2.8% | -9.3% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | -5.9% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -8.4% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -5.7% |
| 1995 | 1.8% | -7.5% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -4.9% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.4% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 1.3% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +10.5% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | +34.6% |
| 2025 | 2.2% | +13.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5.8% | 4 |
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More economy & growth data for Netherlands
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 5,552 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 10.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1768 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 13,026 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 6.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.1564 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 11,528 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1243 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 9,161 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Netherlands?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Netherlands was 2.2% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 5.8% in 1956.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2015.
- How does Netherlands rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Netherlands ranks 61st out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 96.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 — 70 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.