Iran vs South Korea: Military spending as a share of government spending
Iran
11.2%
in 2025
South Korea
10.8%
in 2025
Iran rank
29th
South Korea rank
32nd
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Iran
- South Korea
How they compare
Iran currently reports 11.2% against 10.8% in South Korea, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1995 it was South Korea ahead.
Iran ranks 29th and South Korea ranks 32nd of 162 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.3% | 17.6% | 6.3% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 12.8% | 1.1% | Iran |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 12.6% | 2.9% | Iran |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 10.8% | 2.6% | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of government spending, Iran or South Korea?
- Iran, at 11.2% against 10.8% in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Iran and South Korea?
- 0.4%, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Korea?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2025.
- How do Iran and South Korea rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Iran ranks 29th and South Korea ranks 32nd 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.