Military spending in Singapore
Singapore: Military spending was 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
15.39 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
24th
of 172 countries
All-time high
15.39 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
All-time low
1.03 million constant 2022 US$
in 1965
Years of data
59
1965–2023
Military spending in Singapore, 1965–2023
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
Singapore recorded 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2023. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.9% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Singapore peaked at 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.03 million constant 2022 US$, in 1965.
Singapore ranks 24th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending in Singapore, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.03 million constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1966 | 93.44 million constant 2022 US$ | +8961.0% |
| 1967 | 160.78 million constant 2022 US$ | +72.1% |
| 1968 | 233.90 million constant 2022 US$ | +45.5% |
| 1969 | 675.32 million constant 2022 US$ | +188.7% |
| 1970 | 761.09 million constant 2022 US$ | +12.7% |
| 1971 | 962.76 million constant 2022 US$ | +26.5% |
| 1972 | 1.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 1973 | 1.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 1.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 1.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | +13.8% |
| 1976 | 1.29 billion constant 2022 US$ | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 1.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 1.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 1.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | +13.2% |
| 1980 | 1.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 1.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | +13.7% |
| 1982 | 1.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | +8.7% |
| 1983 | 1.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.27 billion constant 2022 US$ | +15.6% |
| 1985 | 2.62 billion constant 2022 US$ | +15.1% |
| 1986 | 2.58 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 2.66 billion constant 2022 US$ | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 2.84 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.7% |
| 1989 | 3.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 3.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 3.68 billion constant 2022 US$ | +14.8% |
| 1992 | 4.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | +17.8% |
| 1993 | 4.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 5.43 billion constant 2022 US$ | +21.6% |
| 1995 | 6.33 billion constant 2022 US$ | +16.7% |
| 1996 | 6.62 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 7.04 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 7.16 billion constant 2022 US$ | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 7.53 billion constant 2022 US$ | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 7.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 6.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 7.03 billion constant 2022 US$ | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 7.58 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.8% |
| 2005 | 7.64 billion constant 2022 US$ | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 8.13 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.4% |
| 2007 | 9.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 9.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 9.45 billion constant 2022 US$ | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 9.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 10.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 11.18 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 11.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 11.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 11.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 11.78 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 12.88 billion constant 2022 US$ | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 12.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 14.39 billion constant 2022 US$ | +13.2% |
| 2020 | 13.73 billion constant 2022 US$ | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 14.50 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 14.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.9% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.50 billion constant 2022 US$, 2.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.15 billion constant 2022 US$, 3.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending in Singapore changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +8961.0% | 1.03 million constant 2022 US$ | 93.44 million constant 2022 US$ |
| 1969 | +188.7% | 233.90 million constant 2022 US$ | 675.32 million constant 2022 US$ |
| 1967 | +72.1% | 93.44 million constant 2022 US$ | 160.78 million constant 2022 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 232.89 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.03 million constant 2022 US$ | 675.32 million constant 2022 US$ | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion constant 2022 US$ | 761.09 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.33 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.17 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.57 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.21 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.99 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.95 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.52 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.78 billion constant 2022 US$ | 9.97 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.39 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.51 billion constant 2022 US$ | 13.73 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 21 Netherlands 18.59 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 22 Turkey 17.27 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 23 Algeria 16.20 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 25 Qatar 14.38 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 26 Pakistan 12.37 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 27 Colombia 12.36 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
More reference data data for Singapore
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.008 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0066 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0618 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0269 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0378 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0 (1992)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2567 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Singapore?
- Military spending in Singapore was 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 15.39 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 million constant 2022 US$ in 1965.
- How does Singapore rank for military spending?
- Singapore ranks 24th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Singapore data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.