Military spending in Thailand
Thailand: Military spending was 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
7.79 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
37th
of 172 countries
All-time high
8.80 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2021
All-time low
33.75 million constant 2022 US$
in 1893
Years of data
137
1887–2023
Military spending in Thailand, 1887–2023
Source: Barnum et al. – Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
Thailand recorded 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ for military spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Thailand peaked at 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2021 and was at its lowest, 33.75 million constant 2022 US$, in 1893.
That places Thailand 37th out of 172 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending in Thailand, year by year
| Year | constant 2022 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1887 | 34.85 million constant 2022 US$ | — |
| 1888 | 35.12 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.8% |
| 1889 | 36.67 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.4% |
| 1890 | 39.19 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.9% |
| 1891 | 34.92 million constant 2022 US$ | -10.9% |
| 1892 | 35.62 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.0% |
| 1893 | 33.75 million constant 2022 US$ | -5.2% |
| 1894 | 35.31 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 1895 | 37.82 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 1896 | 36.65 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.1% |
| 1897 | 38.66 million constant 2022 US$ | +5.5% |
| 1898 | 35.67 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.7% |
| 1899 | 35.50 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.5% |
| 1900 | 37.79 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.5% |
| 1901 | 36.50 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.4% |
| 1902 | 40.29 million constant 2022 US$ | +10.4% |
| 1903 | 50.35 million constant 2022 US$ | +25.0% |
| 1904 | 69.02 million constant 2022 US$ | +37.1% |
| 1905 | 88.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +27.8% |
| 1906 | 102.74 million constant 2022 US$ | +16.5% |
| 1907 | 110.84 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.9% |
| 1908 | 115.66 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.4% |
| 1909 | 131.81 million constant 2022 US$ | +14.0% |
| 1910 | 131.18 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.5% |
| 1911 | 121.29 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.5% |
| 1912 | 119.86 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.2% |
| 1913 | 155.12 million constant 2022 US$ | +29.4% |
| 1914 | 130.27 million constant 2022 US$ | -16.0% |
| 1915 | 144.09 million constant 2022 US$ | +10.6% |
| 1916 | 145.42 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.9% |
| 1917 | 122.39 million constant 2022 US$ | -15.8% |
| 1918 | 114.91 million constant 2022 US$ | -6.1% |
| 1919 | 95.80 million constant 2022 US$ | -16.6% |
| 1920 | 81.02 million constant 2022 US$ | -15.4% |
| 1921 | 100.25 million constant 2022 US$ | +23.7% |
| 1922 | 108.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.9% |
| 1923 | 105.21 million constant 2022 US$ | -2.8% |
| 1924 | 103.62 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.5% |
| 1925 | 113.20 million constant 2022 US$ | +9.2% |
| 1926 | 119.99 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.0% |
| 1927 | 122.93 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.4% |
| 1928 | 128.82 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.8% |
| 1929 | 123.89 million constant 2022 US$ | -3.8% |
| 1930 | 124.36 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.4% |
| 1931 | 110.34 million constant 2022 US$ | -11.3% |
| 1932 | 104.98 million constant 2022 US$ | -4.9% |
| 1933 | 103.55 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.4% |
| 1934 | 145.11 million constant 2022 US$ | +40.1% |
| 1935 | 159.14 million constant 2022 US$ | +9.7% |
| 1936 | 172.93 million constant 2022 US$ | +8.7% |
| 1937 | 181.44 million constant 2022 US$ | +4.9% |
| 1938 | 192.65 million constant 2022 US$ | +6.2% |
| 1939 | 183.50 million constant 2022 US$ | -4.7% |
| 1940 | 166.26 million constant 2022 US$ | -9.4% |
| 1941 | 285.05 million constant 2022 US$ | +71.4% |
| 1942 | 232.30 million constant 2022 US$ | -18.5% |
| 1943 | 212.13 million constant 2022 US$ | -8.7% |
| 1944 | 190.85 million constant 2022 US$ | -10.0% |
| 1945 | 189.93 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.5% |
| 1946 | 147.63 million constant 2022 US$ | -22.3% |
| 1947 | 146.46 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.8% |
| 1948 | 192.06 million constant 2022 US$ | +31.1% |
| 1949 | 238.74 million constant 2022 US$ | +24.3% |
| 1950 | 216.41 million constant 2022 US$ | -9.4% |
| 1951 | 215.00 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.7% |
| 1952 | 408.12 million constant 2022 US$ | +89.8% |
| 1953 | 508.64 million constant 2022 US$ | +24.6% |
| 1954 | 430.91 million constant 2022 US$ | -15.3% |
| 1955 | 388.73 million constant 2022 US$ | -9.8% |
| 1956 | 417.12 million constant 2022 US$ | +7.3% |
| 1957 | 574.07 million constant 2022 US$ | +37.6% |
| 1958 | 566.40 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.3% |
| 1959 | 522.70 million constant 2022 US$ | -7.7% |
| 1960 | 513.32 million constant 2022 US$ | -1.8% |
| 1961 | 515.46 million constant 2022 US$ | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 577.55 million constant 2022 US$ | +12.0% |
| 1963 | 576.75 million constant 2022 US$ | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 650.88 million constant 2022 US$ | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 662.46 million constant 2022 US$ | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 680.16 million constant 2022 US$ | +2.7% |
| 1967 | 815.37 million constant 2022 US$ | +19.9% |
| 1968 | 957.62 million constant 2022 US$ | +17.4% |
| 1969 | 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ | +19.2% |
| 1970 | 1.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | +19.4% |
| 1971 | 1.49 billion constant 2022 US$ | +9.3% |
| 1972 | 1.60 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.6% |
| 1973 | 1.53 billion constant 2022 US$ | -4.3% |
| 1974 | 1.55 billion constant 2022 US$ | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 1.83 billion constant 2022 US$ | +18.5% |
| 1976 | 2.02 billion constant 2022 US$ | +10.0% |
| 1977 | 2.26 billion constant 2022 US$ | +12.2% |
| 1978 | 2.54 billion constant 2022 US$ | +12.2% |
| 1979 | 3.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | +21.7% |
| 1980 | 3.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 3.40 billion constant 2022 US$ | +10.2% |
| 1982 | 3.64 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.0% |
| 1983 | 3.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 3.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 3.74 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 3.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 3.71 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 3.71 billion constant 2022 US$ | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 3.64 billion constant 2022 US$ | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 3.90 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 4.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 4.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | +13.2% |
| 1993 | 5.51 billion constant 2022 US$ | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 5.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 6.01 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 5.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 5.27 billion constant 2022 US$ | -10.3% |
| 1998 | 4.19 billion constant 2022 US$ | -20.5% |
| 1999 | 3.88 billion constant 2022 US$ | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 4.15 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.8% |
| 2001 | 4.68 billion constant 2022 US$ | +12.8% |
| 2002 | 3.06 billion constant 2022 US$ | -34.6% |
| 2003 | 2.89 billion constant 2022 US$ | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 2.87 billion constant 2022 US$ | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 2.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 3.12 billion constant 2022 US$ | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 3.99 billion constant 2022 US$ | +27.8% |
| 2008 | 4.79 billion constant 2022 US$ | +20.0% |
| 2009 | 5.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | +14.0% |
| 2010 | 5.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 6.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 6.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 6.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 6.47 billion constant 2022 US$ | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 6.96 billion constant 2022 US$ | +7.6% |
| 2017 | 7.34 billion constant 2022 US$ | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 8.42 billion constant 2022 US$ | +14.6% |
| 2019 | 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 8.57 billion constant 2022 US$ | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 7.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ | +0.3% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.25 billion constant 2022 US$, 6.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.15 billion constant 2022 US$, 1.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending in Thailand changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +89.8% | 215.00 million constant 2022 US$ | 408.12 million constant 2022 US$ |
| 1941 | +71.4% | 166.26 million constant 2022 US$ | 285.05 million constant 2022 US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 35.54 million constant 2022 US$ | 34.85 million constant 2022 US$ | 36.67 million constant 2022 US$ | 3 |
| 1890s | 36.31 million constant 2022 US$ | 33.75 million constant 2022 US$ | 39.19 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1900s | 78.32 million constant 2022 US$ | 36.50 million constant 2022 US$ | 131.81 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1910s | 128.03 million constant 2022 US$ | 95.80 million constant 2022 US$ | 155.12 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1920s | 110.71 million constant 2022 US$ | 81.02 million constant 2022 US$ | 128.82 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1930s | 147.80 million constant 2022 US$ | 103.55 million constant 2022 US$ | 192.65 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1940s | 200.14 million constant 2022 US$ | 146.46 million constant 2022 US$ | 285.05 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1950s | 424.81 million constant 2022 US$ | 215.00 million constant 2022 US$ | 574.07 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1960s | 709.10 million constant 2022 US$ | 513.32 million constant 2022 US$ | 1.14 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.36 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.09 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.81 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.96 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.88 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.01 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.78 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.82 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.46 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | 5.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | 7.76 billion constant 2022 US$ | 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
More reference data data for Thailand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 65.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.92 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Thailand?
- Military spending in Thailand was 7.79 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 Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 8.80 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2021.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.75 million constant 2022 US$ in 1893.
- How does Thailand rank for military spending?
- Thailand ranks 37th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Thailand 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 — 137 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.