North Korea vs Sierra Leone: Military spending per military personnel
North Korea
1,224 constant 2022 US$
in 2018
Sierra Leone
3,075 constant 2022 US$
in 2022
North Korea rank
167th
Sierra Leone rank
164th
Military spending per military personnel over time
- North Korea
- Sierra Leone
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 3,075 constant 2022 US$ against 1,224 constant 2022 US$ in North Korea, a difference of 1,851 constant 2022 US$.
That makes Sierra Leone's figure about 2.5 times North Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 58 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Sierra Leone ahead.
North Korea ranks 167th and Sierra Leone ranks 164th of 170 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 3 and Sierra Leone in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Sierra Leone | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6,869 constant 2022 US$ | 6,185 constant 2022 US$ | 683.91 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1970s | 7,921 constant 2022 US$ | 9,267 constant 2022 US$ | 1,346 constant 2022 US$ | Sierra Leone |
| 1980s | 9,559 constant 2022 US$ | 4,507 constant 2022 US$ | 5,052 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 1990s | 6,730 constant 2022 US$ | 6,852 constant 2022 US$ | 122.22 constant 2022 US$ | Sierra Leone |
| 2000s | 4,559 constant 2022 US$ | 3,325 constant 2022 US$ | 1,233 constant 2022 US$ | North Korea |
| 2010s | 1,498 constant 2022 US$ | 2,032 constant 2022 US$ | 534.26 constant 2022 US$ | Sierra Leone |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending per military personnel, North Korea or Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone, at 3,075 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 North Korea and Sierra Leone?
- 1,851 constant 2022 US$, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Sierra Leone?
- 58 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2018.
- How do North Korea and Sierra Leone rank globally for military spending per military personnel?
- North Korea ranks 167th and Sierra Leone ranks 164th 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.