Canada vs South Korea: Military spending
Canada
32.57 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
South Korea
57.02 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Canada rank
14th
South Korea rank
11th
Military spending over time
- Canada
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 57.02 billion constant 2022 US$ against 32.57 billion constant 2022 US$ in Canada, a difference of 24.45 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.8 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 75 shared years of data; in 1949 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 14th and South Korea ranks 11th of 172 countries.
Across the 9 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 5 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.49 billion constant 2022 US$ | 123.11 million constant 2022 US$ | 3.37 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1950s | 12.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | 766.01 million constant 2022 US$ | 11.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1960s | 11.37 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1970s | 12.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.45 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.73 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1980s | 16.31 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | Canada |
| 1990s | 16.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 21.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | South Korea |
| 2000s | 18.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | 25.72 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | South Korea |
| 2010s | 21.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | 40.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | 19.14 billion constant 2022 US$ | South Korea |
| 2020s | 30.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 56.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | 26.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Canada or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 57.02 billion constant 2022 US$ against 32.57 billion constant 2022 US$ in Canada as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Canada and South Korea?
- 24.45 billion constant 2022 US$, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Korea?
- 75 years are reported by both, from 1949 to 2023.
- How do Canada and South Korea rank globally for military spending?
- Canada ranks 14th and South Korea ranks 11th 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.