Which country in South America has the highest military spending?

Colombia has the highest military spending in South America: 3.2% of GDP (2025). Next come Uruguay (2.3% of GDP) and Ecuador (2.1% of GDP).

Which country in South America has the lowest military spending?

Argentina, with 0.6% of GDP (2025).

What is the typical military spending of a country in South America?

The median of the 10 countries in South America is 1.1% 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, 2025. 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 South America 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. 10 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2025

See it on the map

Map: Military spending — South America — **0.74%**1%**1.5%**2%**2.4%3.3%**No data

Highest

3.2%

Colombia

Median country

1.1%

half above, half below

Lowest

0.6%

Argentina

Countries in South America by military spending, World Bank, 2025
#	Country	% of GDP	Region
1	Colombia	3.2%	South America
2	Uruguay	2.3%	South America
3	Ecuador	2.1%	South America
4	Chile	1.5%	South America
5	Bolivia	1.2%	South America
6	Brazil	1.1%	South America
7	Guyana	1.0%	South America
8	Paraguay	0.9%	South America
9	Peru	0.8%	South America
10	Argentina	0.6%	South America

No World Bank figure for 2 countries: Suriname, Venezuela.

Questions

Which country in South America has the highest military spending?: Colombia has the highest military spending in South America: 3.2% of GDP (2025). Next come Uruguay (2.3% of GDP) and Ecuador (2.1% of GDP).
Which country in South America has the lowest military spending?: Argentina, with 0.6% of GDP (2025).
What is the typical military spending of a country in South America?: The median of the 10 countries in South America is 1.1% 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, 2025. 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.