Australia vs Canada: Military spending
Australia
38.94 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Canada
32.57 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Australia rank
13th
Canada rank
14th
Military spending over time
- Australia
- Canada
How they compare
Australia currently reports 38.94 billion constant 2022 US$ against 32.57 billion constant 2022 US$ in Canada, a difference of 6.38 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 104 shared years of data; in 1920 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 13th and Canada ranks 14th of 172 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and Canada in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Canada | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 295.20 million constant 2022 US$ | 187.57 million constant 2022 US$ | 107.64 million constant 2022 US$ | Australia |
| 1930s | 419.63 million constant 2022 US$ | 515.61 million constant 2022 US$ | 95.98 million constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1940s | 10.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | 21.86 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10.89 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1950s | 3.49 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1960s | 3.72 billion constant 2022 US$ | 11.37 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1970s | 8.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1980s | 10.72 billion constant 2022 US$ | 16.31 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1990s | 12.66 billion constant 2022 US$ | 16.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 2000s | 19.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | 18.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | 711.47 million constant 2022 US$ | Australia |
| 2010s | 30.07 billion constant 2022 US$ | 21.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | Australia |
| 2020s | 37.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 30.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Australia or Canada?
- Australia, at 38.94 billion constant 2022 US$ against 32.57 billion constant 2022 US$ in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Australia and Canada?
- 6.38 billion constant 2022 US$, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Canada?
- 104 years are reported by both, from 1920 to 2023.
- How do Australia and Canada rank globally for military spending?
- Australia ranks 13th and Canada ranks 14th of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.