Which country in Europe has the highest military spending?

Ukraine has the highest military spending in Europe: 34.5% of GDP (2024). Next come Russia (7.0% of GDP) and Poland (4.2% of GDP).

Which country in Europe has the lowest military spending?

Ireland, with 0.2% of GDP (2024).

What is the typical military spending of a country in Europe?

The median of the 38 countries in Europe is 2.0% of GDP: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: armed forces, defence ministries, military aid and the paramilitary forces trained for military operations. Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Europe by military spending

Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: armed forces, defence ministries, military aid and the paramilitary forces trained for military operations. 38 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, 2024

See it on the map

Map: Military spending — Europe — **0.71%**1%**1.4%1.9%2.3%3.4%**No data

Highest

34.5%

Ukraine

Median country

2.0%

half above, half below

Lowest

0.2%

Ireland

Countries in Europe by military spending, World Bank, 2024
#	Country	% of GDP	Region
1	Ukraine	34.5%	Eastern Europe
2	Russia	7.0%	Eastern Europe
3	Poland	4.2%	Eastern Europe
4	Estonia	3.4%	Northern Europe
5	Latvia	3.3%	Northern Europe
6	Greece	3.1%	Southern Europe
7	Lithuania	3.1%	Northern Europe
8	Serbia	2.6%	Southern Europe
9	Denmark	2.4%	Northern Europe
=10	Finland	2.3%	Northern Europe
=10	Romania	2.3%	Eastern Europe
12	United Kingdom	2.3%	Northern Europe
13	Hungary	2.2%	Eastern Europe
14	Bulgaria	2.1%	Eastern Europe
15	North Macedonia	2.1%	Southern Europe
16	Norway	2.1%	Northern Europe
17	Belarus	2.1%	Eastern Europe
18	France	2.0%	Western Europe
19	Albania	2.0%	Southern Europe
20	Slovakia	2.0%	Eastern Europe
21	Sweden	2.0%	Northern Europe
=22	Czechia	1.9%	Eastern Europe
=22	Netherlands	1.9%	Western Europe
24	Germany	1.9%	Western Europe
25	Montenegro	1.8%	Southern Europe
26	Croatia	1.8%	Southern Europe
27	Italy	1.6%	Southern Europe
28	Portugal	1.5%	Southern Europe
29	Spain	1.4%	Southern Europe
30	Slovenia	1.3%	Southern Europe
31	Belgium	1.3%	Western Europe
32	Austria	1.0%	Western Europe
33	Luxembourg	1.0%	Western Europe
34	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.8%	Southern Europe
35	Switzerland	0.7%	Western Europe
36	Moldova	0.6%	Eastern Europe
37	Malta	0.5%	Southern Europe
38	Ireland	0.2%	Northern Europe

No World Bank figure for 6 countries: Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.

Questions

Which country in Europe has the highest military spending?: Ukraine has the highest military spending in Europe: 34.5% of GDP (2024). Next come Russia (7.0% of GDP) and Poland (4.2% of GDP).
Which country in Europe has the lowest military spending?: Ireland, with 0.2% of GDP (2024).
What is the typical military spending of a country in Europe?: The median of the 38 countries in Europe is 2.0% of GDP: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: Military expenditure as a share of GDP, from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: armed forces, defence ministries, military aid and the paramilitary forces trained for military operations. Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.