Australia vs Sweden: Military spending as a share of government spending
Australia
4.9%
in 2025
Sweden
5.0%
in 2025
Australia rank
89th
Sweden rank
86th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Australia
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 5.0% against 4.9% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 38 shared years of data; in 1988 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 89th and Sweden ranks 86th of 162 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.0% | 4.2% | 2.8% | Australia |
| 1990s | 6.0% | 3.5% | 2.5% | Australia |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 2.8% | 2.4% | Australia |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.8% | Australia |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.3% | 1.6% | Australia |
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 Sweden?
- Sweden, at 5.0% against 4.9% in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Australia and Sweden?
- 0.1%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Sweden?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2025.
- How do Australia and Sweden rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Australia ranks 89th and Sweden ranks 86th 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.