Netherlands vs Spain: Military spending
Netherlands
18.59 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Spain
26.09 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Netherlands rank
21st
Spain rank
18th
Military spending over time
- Netherlands
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 26.09 billion constant 2022 US$ against 18.59 billion constant 2022 US$ in Netherlands, a difference of 7.50 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.4 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 204 shared years of data; in 1816 it was Spain ahead.
Netherlands ranks 21st and Spain ranks 18th of 172 countries.
Across the 22 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 5 and Spain in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 176.82 million constant 2022 US$ | 398.37 million constant 2022 US$ | 221.55 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1820s | 168.53 million constant 2022 US$ | 204.07 million constant 2022 US$ | 35.54 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1830s | 290.61 million constant 2022 US$ | 173.84 million constant 2022 US$ | 116.77 million constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1840s | 205.36 million constant 2022 US$ | 330.49 million constant 2022 US$ | 125.12 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1850s | 210.36 million constant 2022 US$ | 565.08 million constant 2022 US$ | 354.72 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1860s | 229.06 million constant 2022 US$ | 596.70 million constant 2022 US$ | 367.64 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1870s | 276.31 million constant 2022 US$ | 812.42 million constant 2022 US$ | 536.11 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1880s | 312.57 million constant 2022 US$ | 802.94 million constant 2022 US$ | 490.37 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1890s | 402.53 million constant 2022 US$ | 755.55 million constant 2022 US$ | 353.02 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1900s | 448.06 million constant 2022 US$ | 764.87 million constant 2022 US$ | 316.81 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1910s | 393.95 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.51 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1920s | 448.55 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1930s | 797.02 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.41 billion constant 2022 US$ | 615.17 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1940s | 2.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.79 billion constant 2022 US$ | 974.55 million constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1950s | 3.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.44 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1960s | 5.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1970s | 10.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.61 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | Netherlands |
| 1980s | 11.92 billion constant 2022 US$ | 12.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | 717.08 million constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 1990s | 12.30 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 2000s | 12.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 18.13 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.44 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 2010s | 12.65 billion constant 2022 US$ | 17.15 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
| 2020s | 17.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | 22.89 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.71 billion constant 2022 US$ | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Netherlands or Spain?
- Spain, at 26.09 billion constant 2022 US$ against 18.59 billion constant 2022 US$ in Netherlands as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Netherlands and Spain?
- 7.50 billion constant 2022 US$, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Spain?
- 204 years are reported by both, from 1816 to 2023.
- How do Netherlands and Spain rank globally for military spending?
- Netherlands ranks 21st and Spain ranks 18th 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.