Afghanistan vs China: Military spending as a share of government spending
Afghanistan
5.0%
in 2020
China
5.1%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
87th
China rank
85th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Afghanistan
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 5.1% against 5.0% in Afghanistan, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2004 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 87th and China ranks 85th of 162 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 2 and China in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.0% | 9.3% | 2.7% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 5.7% | 0.6% | China |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 4.9% | 0.1% | 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 China?
- China, at 5.1% against 5.0% in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Afghanistan and China?
- 0.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2020.
- How do Afghanistan and China rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Afghanistan ranks 87th and China ranks 85th 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.