South Korea vs Spain: Military spending per armed forces personnel
South Korea
80,076 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
Spain
99,005 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
South Korea rank
38th
Spain rank
35th
Military spending per armed forces personnel over time
- South Korea
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 99,005 constant 2024 US$ against 80,076 constant 2024 US$ in South Korea, a difference of 18,929 constant 2024 US$.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
Across all 33 years both countries report, Spain has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 38th and Spain ranks 35th of 160 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21,677 constant 2024 US$ | 65,424 constant 2024 US$ | 43,747 constant 2024 US$ | Spain |
| 1990s | 26,664 constant 2024 US$ | 75,514 constant 2024 US$ | 48,851 constant 2024 US$ | Spain |
| 2000s | 36,460 constant 2024 US$ | 91,981 constant 2024 US$ | 55,521 constant 2024 US$ | Spain |
| 2010s | 56,633 constant 2024 US$ | 91,522 constant 2024 US$ | 34,890 constant 2024 US$ | Spain |
| 2020s | 80,076 constant 2024 US$ | 99,005 constant 2024 US$ | 18,928 constant 2024 US$ | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per armed forces personnel, South Korea or Spain?
- Spain, at 99,005 constant 2024 US$ against 80,076 constant 2024 US$ in South Korea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in military spending per armed forces personnel between South Korea and Spain?
- 18,929 constant 2024 US$, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Spain?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2020.
- How do South Korea and Spain rank globally for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- South Korea ranks 38th and Spain ranks 35th 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
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.