Denmark vs Germany: Military spending per armed forces personnel

Denmark
355,255 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
Germany
330,155 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
Denmark rank
10th
Germany rank
12th

Military spending per armed forces personnel over time

  • Denmark
  • Germany
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k198520022020

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 355,255 constant 2024 US$ against 330,155 constant 2024 US$ in Germany, a difference of 25,100 constant 2024 US$.

That makes Denmark's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 10 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Denmark ahead.

Denmark ranks 10th and Germany ranks 12th of 160 countries.

Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Denmark Germany Difference Ahead
1980s 150,240 constant 2024 US$ 134,419 constant 2024 US$ 15,822 constant 2024 US$ Denmark
1990s 151,163 constant 2024 US$ 140,374 constant 2024 US$ 10,789 constant 2024 US$ Denmark
2000s 192,832 constant 2024 US$ 176,419 constant 2024 US$ 16,412 constant 2024 US$ Denmark
2010s 269,255 constant 2024 US$ 260,346 constant 2024 US$ 8,909 constant 2024 US$ Denmark
2020s 355,255 constant 2024 US$ 330,155 constant 2024 US$ 25,100 constant 2024 US$ Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military spending per armed forces personnel, Denmark or Germany?
Denmark, at 355,255 constant 2024 US$ against 330,155 constant 2024 US$ in Germany as of 2020.
What is the difference in military spending per armed forces personnel between Denmark and Germany?
25,100 constant 2024 US$, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Germany?
33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
How do Denmark and Germany rank globally for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Denmark ranks 10th and Germany ranks 12th of 160 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.