Italy vs Japan: Military spending
Italy
45.44 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
Japan
59.49 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
Italy rank
12th
Japan rank
10th
Military spending over time
- Italy
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 45.44 billion constant 2024 US$ in Italy, a difference of 14.05 billion constant 2024 US$.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.3 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1952 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 12th and Japan ranks 10th of 162 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 5 and Japan in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.64 billion constant 2024 US$ | 6.99 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.65 billion constant 2024 US$ | Italy |
| 1960s | 14.09 billion constant 2024 US$ | 8.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | 5.24 billion constant 2024 US$ | Italy |
| 1970s | 19.89 billion constant 2024 US$ | 17.47 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.41 billion constant 2024 US$ | Italy |
| 1980s | 27.83 billion constant 2024 US$ | 26.23 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.60 billion constant 2024 US$ | Italy |
| 1990s | 32.12 billion constant 2024 US$ | 35.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | 2.91 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 36.78 billion constant 2024 US$ | 36.40 billion constant 2024 US$ | 379.27 million constant 2024 US$ | Italy |
| 2010s | 29.66 billion constant 2024 US$ | 37.11 billion constant 2024 US$ | 7.46 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2020s | 38.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 46.83 billion constant 2024 US$ | 8.74 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Italy or Japan?
- Japan, at 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 45.44 billion constant 2024 US$ in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending between Italy and Japan?
- 14.05 billion constant 2024 US$, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Japan?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1952 to 2025.
- How do Italy and Japan rank globally for military spending?
- Italy ranks 12th and Japan ranks 10th 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.