Military spending in Switzerland

Switzerland: Military spending was 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
7.40 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 6.1%
World rank
39th
of 172 countries
All-time high
7.40 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
All-time low
8.01 million constant 2022 US$
in 1853
Years of data
208
1816–2023

Military spending in Switzerland, 1816–2023

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B181619192023

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

In 2023, military spending in Switzerland stood at 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$. That is the highest value across all 208 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.1% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Switzerland peaked at 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.01 million constant 2022 US$, in 1853.

Switzerland ranks 39th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1810s 15.88 million constant 2022 US$ 14.75 million constant 2022 US$ 18.25 million constant 2022 US$ 4
1820s 15.78 million constant 2022 US$ 14.86 million constant 2022 US$ 16.76 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1830s 14.20 million constant 2022 US$ 11.98 million constant 2022 US$ 17.12 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1840s 11.76 million constant 2022 US$ 10.34 million constant 2022 US$ 12.96 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1850s 10.00 million constant 2022 US$ 8.01 million constant 2022 US$ 17.21 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1860s 15.89 million constant 2022 US$ 11.45 million constant 2022 US$ 19.37 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1870s 36.35 million constant 2022 US$ 10.24 million constant 2022 US$ 68.14 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1880s 83.29 million constant 2022 US$ 62.65 million constant 2022 US$ 116.67 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1890s 137.83 million constant 2022 US$ 130.58 million constant 2022 US$ 145.22 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1900s 161.98 million constant 2022 US$ 143.03 million constant 2022 US$ 194.41 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1910s 137.67 million constant 2022 US$ 91.96 million constant 2022 US$ 187.15 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1920s 200.21 million constant 2022 US$ 112.65 million constant 2022 US$ 246.29 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1930s 427.04 million constant 2022 US$ 264.98 million constant 2022 US$ 654.10 million constant 2022 US$ 10
1940s 1.01 billion constant 2022 US$ 778.63 million constant 2022 US$ 1.31 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1950s 1.69 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.28 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.02 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1960s 2.73 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.84 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.33 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 4.30 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.43 billion constant 2022 US$ 5.54 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 6.03 billion constant 2022 US$ 4.79 billion constant 2022 US$ 7.32 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 6.66 billion constant 2022 US$ 5.12 billion constant 2022 US$ 7.28 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 4.91 billion constant 2022 US$ 4.66 billion constant 2022 US$ 5.32 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 5.74 billion constant 2022 US$ 5.04 billion constant 2022 US$ 6.84 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 7.08 billion constant 2022 US$ 6.94 billion constant 2022 US$ 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ 4

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 36 Denmark 8.01 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 37 Thailand 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 38 Oman 7.65 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 40 Vietnam 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 41 Finland 6.73 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 42 Romania 6.50 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Switzerland?
Military spending in Switzerland was 7.40 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 8.01 million constant 2022 US$ in 1853.
How does Switzerland rank for military spending?
Switzerland ranks 39th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
Is military spending rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland 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 — 208 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

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.