Japan vs South Korea: Military spending
Japan
62.31 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
South Korea
57.02 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Japan rank
9th
South Korea rank
11th
Military spending over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 62.31 billion constant 2022 US$ against 57.02 billion constant 2022 US$ in South Korea, a difference of 5.30 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
Across all 72 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 9th and South Korea ranks 11th of 172 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | 875.89 million constant 2022 US$ | 3.07 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 1960s | 6.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.14 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 1970s | 18.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.45 billion constant 2022 US$ | 13.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 38.49 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | 26.30 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 64.05 billion constant 2022 US$ | 21.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 42.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 58.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | 25.72 billion constant 2022 US$ | 33.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 58.06 billion constant 2022 US$ | 40.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | 17.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 2020s | 61.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | 56.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 62.31 billion constant 2022 US$ against 57.02 billion constant 2022 US$ in South Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Japan and South Korea?
- 5.30 billion constant 2022 US$, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 72 years are reported by both, from 1952 to 2023.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for military spending?
- Japan ranks 9th 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.