Japan vs South Korea: Military spending, gaps filled
Military spending, gaps filled over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Korea, a difference of 10.65 billion constant 2024 US$.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 73 shared years of data; in 1953 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 11th of 162 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 7 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 583.59 million constant 2024 US$ | 6.50 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1960s | 8.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 7.69 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1970s | 17.47 billion constant 2024 US$ | 5.10 billion constant 2024 US$ | 12.38 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 26.23 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.95 billion constant 2024 US$ | 14.28 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 35.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | 18.51 billion constant 2024 US$ | 16.52 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 36.40 billion constant 2024 US$ | 25.06 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.35 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 37.11 billion constant 2024 US$ | 36.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2020s | 46.83 billion constant 2024 US$ | 47.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 330.45 million constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, gaps filled, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending, gaps filled between Japan and South Korea?
- 10.65 billion constant 2024 US$, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 73 years are reported by both, from 1953 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for military spending, gaps filled?
- Japan ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 11th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Military spending, gaps filled. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military spending with 108 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.