France vs Germany: Military spending
France
71.97 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Germany
62.28 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2020
France rank
7th
Germany rank
10th
Military spending over time
- France
- Germany
How they compare
France currently reports 71.97 billion constant 2022 US$ against 62.28 billion constant 2022 US$ in Germany, a difference of 9.69 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes France's figure about 1.2 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 195 shared years of data; in 1816 it was France ahead.
France ranks 7th and Germany ranks 10th of 172 countries.
Across the 22 decades both report, France averaged higher in 15 and Germany in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 747.51 million constant 2022 US$ | 270.40 million constant 2022 US$ | 477.11 million constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1820s | 1.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 345.15 million constant 2022 US$ | 765.84 million constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1830s | 1.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | 401.08 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.25 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1840s | 2.66 billion constant 2022 US$ | 492.16 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1850s | 3.35 billion constant 2022 US$ | 552.10 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1860s | 3.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 781.43 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.43 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1870s | 3.45 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.25 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1880s | 4.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.68 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1890s | 4.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 440.10 million constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1900s | 5.44 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.07 billion constant 2022 US$ | 627.11 million constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1910s | 47.19 billion constant 2022 US$ | 55.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1920s | 4.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.29 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.56 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1930s | 11.99 billion constant 2022 US$ | 42.73 billion constant 2022 US$ | 30.74 billion constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1940s | 30.16 billion constant 2022 US$ | 433.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | 403.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1950s | 15.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | 16.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 848.52 million constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1960s | 34.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 33.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 558.06 million constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 1970s | 46.51 billion constant 2022 US$ | 57.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | 11.12 billion constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1980s | 58.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 61.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | Germany |
| 1990s | 64.68 billion constant 2022 US$ | 58.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 2000s | 64.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | 50.24 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.30 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 2010s | 60.42 billion constant 2022 US$ | 51.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
| 2020s | 67.22 billion constant 2022 US$ | 62.28 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.94 billion constant 2022 US$ | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, France or Germany?
- France, at 71.97 billion constant 2022 US$ against 62.28 billion constant 2022 US$ in Germany as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between France and Germany?
- 9.69 billion constant 2022 US$, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
- 195 years are reported by both, from 1816 to 2020.
- How do France and Germany rank globally for military spending?
- France ranks 7th and Germany ranks 10th 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.