China vs Sweden: Military spending as a share of government spending
China
5.1%
in 2025
Sweden
5.0%
in 2025
China rank
85th
Sweden rank
86th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- China
- Sweden
How they compare
China currently reports 5.1% against 5.0% in Sweden, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 37 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 85th and Sweden ranks 86th of 162 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.2% | 4.1% | 9.1% | China |
| 1990s | 14.4% | 3.5% | 10.8% | China |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 2.8% | 7.3% | China |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 2.2% | 3.5% | China |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 3.3% | 1.7% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, China or Sweden?
- China, at 5.1% against 5.0% in Sweden as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between China and Sweden?
- 0.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sweden?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2025.
- How do China and Sweden rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- China ranks 85th 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.