Afghanistan vs Australia: Military spending as a share of government spending
Afghanistan
5.0%
in 2020
Australia
4.9%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
87th
Australia rank
89th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Afghanistan
- Australia
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 5.0% against 4.9% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 87th and Australia ranks 89th of 162 countries.
Afghanistan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Australia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.0% | 5.2% | 6.8% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 5.0% | 0.1% | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 0.5% | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Afghanistan or Australia?
- Afghanistan, at 5.0% against 4.9% in Australia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Afghanistan and Australia?
- 0.1%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Australia?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2020.
- How do Afghanistan and Australia rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th and Australia ranks 89th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of government spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by government spending.