Denmark vs Norway: Military spending as a share of government spending
Denmark
6.6%
in 2025
Norway
6.7%
in 2025
Denmark rank
59th
Norway rank
58th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Denmark
- Norway
How they compare
Norway currently reports 6.7% against 6.6% in Denmark, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1988 it was Norway ahead.
Denmark ranks 59th and Norway ranks 58th of 162 countries.
Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% | 5.9% | 2.3% | Norway |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 5.0% | 1.9% | Norway |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 3.9% | 1.2% | Norway |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 3.4% | 1.0% | Norway |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 4.4% | 0.4% | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Denmark or Norway?
- Norway, at 6.7% against 6.6% in Denmark as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Denmark and Norway?
- 0.1%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Norway?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and Norway rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Denmark ranks 59th and Norway ranks 58th 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.