Ethiopia vs North Korea: Military spending per military personnel
Ethiopia
2,063 constant 2022 US$
in 2022
North Korea
1,224 constant 2022 US$
in 2018
Ethiopia rank
165th
North Korea rank
167th
Military spending per military personnel over time
- Ethiopia
- North Korea
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 2,063 constant 2022 US$ against 1,224 constant 2022 US$ in North Korea, a difference of 839 constant 2022 US$.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.7 times North Korea's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 71 shared years of data; in 1948 it was North Korea ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 165th and North Korea ranks 167th of 170 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 1 and North Korea in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,874 constant 2022 US$ | 5,354 constant 2022 US$ | 3,479 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1950s | 2,641 constant 2022 US$ | 3,882 constant 2022 US$ | 1,241 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1960s | 4,706 constant 2022 US$ | 6,612 constant 2022 US$ | 1,906 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1970s | 4,990 constant 2022 US$ | 7,921 constant 2022 US$ | 2,931 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1980s | 3,749 constant 2022 US$ | 9,559 constant 2022 US$ | 5,810 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1990s | 3,807 constant 2022 US$ | 6,730 constant 2022 US$ | 2,923 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 2000s | 2,733 constant 2022 US$ | 4,559 constant 2022 US$ | 1,826 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 2010s | 3,385 constant 2022 US$ | 1,498 constant 2022 US$ | 1,887 constant 2022 US$ | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per military personnel, Ethiopia or North Korea?
- Ethiopia, at 2,063 constant 2022 US$ against 1,224 constant 2022 US$ in North Korea as of 2022.
- What is the difference in military spending per military personnel between Ethiopia and North Korea?
- 839 constant 2022 US$, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and North Korea?
- 71 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2018.
- How do Ethiopia and North Korea rank globally for military spending per military personnel?
- Ethiopia ranks 165th and North Korea ranks 167th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025); Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending per military personnel. 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.