Japan vs United Kingdom: Military spending
Japan
62.31 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
United Kingdom
84.21 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Japan rank
9th
United Kingdom rank
6th
Military spending over time
- Japan
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 84.21 billion constant 2022 US$ against 62.31 billion constant 2022 US$ in Japan, a difference of 21.89 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.4 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 158 shared years of data; in 1860 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Japan ranks 9th and United Kingdom ranks 6th of 172 countries.
Across the 17 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 47.33 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.77 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 164.74 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.39 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 279.46 million constant 2022 US$ | 3.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 1.02 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.67 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.64 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 3.28 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 3.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | 55.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | 52.57 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 3.57 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 9.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 23.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.14 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 84.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | 196.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 111.77 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 3.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | 41.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 37.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 6.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | 40.25 billion constant 2022 US$ | 33.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 18.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | 44.38 billion constant 2022 US$ | 26.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 38.49 billion constant 2022 US$ | 64.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | 25.98 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 64.05 billion constant 2022 US$ | 62.86 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 58.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | 71.04 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.12 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 58.06 billion constant 2022 US$ | 69.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | 11.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 61.08 billion constant 2022 US$ | 79.71 billion constant 2022 US$ | 18.62 billion constant 2022 US$ | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Japan or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 84.21 billion constant 2022 US$ against 62.31 billion constant 2022 US$ in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Japan and United Kingdom?
- 21.89 billion constant 2022 US$, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United Kingdom?
- 158 years are reported by both, from 1860 to 2023.
- How do Japan and United Kingdom rank globally for military spending?
- Japan ranks 9th and United Kingdom ranks 6th 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.