Israel vs South Korea: Military spending
Israel
43.66 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
South Korea
48.85 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
Israel rank
13th
South Korea rank
11th
Military spending over time
- Israel
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ against 43.66 billion constant 2024 US$ in Israel, a difference of 5.18 billion constant 2024 US$.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Israel's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 73 shared years of data; in 1953 it was Israel ahead.
Israel ranks 13th and South Korea ranks 11th of 162 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Israel averaged higher in 4 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Israel | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 906.80 million constant 2024 US$ | 583.59 million constant 2024 US$ | 323.21 million constant 2024 US$ | Israel |
| 1960s | 3.17 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.01 billion constant 2024 US$ | Israel |
| 1970s | 13.66 billion constant 2024 US$ | 5.10 billion constant 2024 US$ | 8.57 billion constant 2024 US$ | Israel |
| 1980s | 14.60 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.95 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.64 billion constant 2024 US$ | Israel |
| 1990s | 14.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 18.51 billion constant 2024 US$ | 4.43 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
| 2000s | 15.21 billion constant 2024 US$ | 25.06 billion constant 2024 US$ | 9.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
| 2010s | 19.01 billion constant 2024 US$ | 36.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 17.07 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
| 2020s | 30.81 billion constant 2024 US$ | 47.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 16.35 billion constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Israel or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ against 43.66 billion constant 2024 US$ in Israel as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending between Israel and South Korea?
- 5.18 billion constant 2024 US$, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Korea?
- 73 years are reported by both, from 1953 to 2025.
- How do Israel and South Korea rank globally for military spending?
- Israel ranks 13th and South Korea ranks 11th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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.