Iran vs Taiwan: Military spending as a share of government spending
Iran
11.2%
in 2025
Taiwan
12.4%
in 2025
Iran rank
29th
Taiwan rank
27th
Military spending as a share of government spending over time
- Iran
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 12.4% against 11.2% in Iran, a difference of 1.2%.
That makes Taiwan's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Taiwan ahead.
Iran ranks 29th and Taiwan ranks 27th of 162 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 3 and Taiwan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Taiwan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.6% | 15.4% | 4.8% | Taiwan |
| 2000s | 13.9% | 10.4% | 3.5% | Iran |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 10.2% | 5.3% | Iran |
| 2020s | 13.4% | 11.0% | 2.5% | 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 Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 12.4% against 11.2% in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of government spending between Iran and Taiwan?
- 1.2%, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Taiwan?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do Iran and Taiwan rank globally for military spending as a share of government spending?
- Iran ranks 29th and Taiwan ranks 27th 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.