Japan vs South Korea: Military spending
Japan
59.49 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
South Korea
48.85 billion constant 2024 US$
in 2025
Japan rank
10th
South Korea rank
11th
Military spending over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Korea, a difference of 10.65 billion constant 2024 US$.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 73 shared years of data; in 1953 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 11th of 162 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 7 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 583.59 million constant 2024 US$ | 6.50 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1960s | 8.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 7.69 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1970s | 17.47 billion constant 2024 US$ | 5.10 billion constant 2024 US$ | 12.38 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1980s | 26.23 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.95 billion constant 2024 US$ | 14.28 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 1990s | 35.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | 18.51 billion constant 2024 US$ | 16.52 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2000s | 36.40 billion constant 2024 US$ | 25.06 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.35 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2010s | 37.11 billion constant 2024 US$ | 36.08 billion constant 2024 US$ | 1.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | Japan |
| 2020s | 46.83 billion constant 2024 US$ | 47.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 330.45 million constant 2024 US$ | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 59.49 billion constant 2024 US$ against 48.85 billion constant 2024 US$ in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending between Japan and South Korea?
- 10.65 billion constant 2024 US$, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 73 years are reported by both, from 1953 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for military spending?
- Japan ranks 10th 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.