Australia vs Sri Lanka: Military spending as a share of government spending
Australia
4.9%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
4.9%
in 2025
Australia rank
89th
Sri Lanka rank
88th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Australia
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 4.9% against 4.9% in Australia, a difference of 0.0%.
Across all 36 years both countries report, Sri Lanka has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 89th and Sri Lanka ranks 88th of 162 countries.
Sri Lanka has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.0% | 14.4% | 8.4% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 14.1% | 8.9% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 11.9% | 6.8% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 7.1% | 2.3% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Australia or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 4.9% against 4.9% in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Australia and Sri Lanka?
- 0.0%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Sri Lanka?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Australia and Sri Lanka rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Australia ranks 89th and Sri Lanka ranks 88th 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.