Military spending in Taiwan
Taiwan: Military spending was 19.60 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Military spending in Taiwan, 1949–2023
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
Taiwan recorded 19.60 billion constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.2% on the previous year and up 66.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Taiwan peaked at 19.93 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1996 and was at its lowest, 551.98 million constant 2022 US$, in 1954.
That places Taiwan 20th out of 172 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 660.37 million constant 2022 US$ | 660.37 million constant 2022 US$ | 660.37 million constant 2022 US$ | 1 |
| 1950s | 1.04 billion constant 2022 US$ | 551.98 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.77 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.53 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.01 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.19 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.35 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.37 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.32 billion constant 2022 US$ | 19.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 17.11 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.25 billion constant 2022 US$ | 11.22 billion constant 2022 US$ | 14.35 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.38 billion constant 2022 US$ | 15.70 billion constant 2022 US$ | 19.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan
- 17 Poland 26.65 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 18 Spain 26.09 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 19 United Arab Emirates 24.89 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
- 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
More reference data data for Taiwan
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Elite Consultations Score 1.63 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Taiwan?
- Military spending in Taiwan was 19.60 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 Taiwan?
- The highest recorded value was 19.93 billion constant 2022 US$ in 1996.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Taiwan?
- The lowest recorded value was 551.98 million constant 2022 US$ in 1954.
- How does Taiwan rank for military spending?
- Taiwan ranks 20th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Taiwan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Taiwan 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 — 75 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.