Military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia
Australia: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 521,125 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
521,125 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
3rd
of 160 countries
All-time high
521,125 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
All-time low
194,507 constant 2024 US$
in 1989
Years of data
33
1985–2020
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia, 1985–2020
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.
Analysis
Australia recorded 521,125 constant 2024 US$ for military spending per armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia peaked at 521,125 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 194,507 constant 2024 US$, in 1989.
Australia ranks 3rd of 160 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 208,137 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 194,507 constant 2024 US$ | -6.5% |
| 1990 | 201,215 constant 2024 US$ | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 204,647 constant 2024 US$ | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 210,617 constant 2024 US$ | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 218,599 constant 2024 US$ | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 231,246 constant 2024 US$ | +5.8% |
| 1995 | 254,986 constant 2024 US$ | +10.3% |
| 1996 | 244,582 constant 2024 US$ | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 250,674 constant 2024 US$ | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 262,945 constant 2024 US$ | +4.9% |
| 1999 | 286,605 constant 2024 US$ | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 311,304 constant 2024 US$ | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 323,002 constant 2024 US$ | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 342,186 constant 2024 US$ | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 331,000 constant 2024 US$ | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 355,251 constant 2024 US$ | +7.3% |
| 2005 | 360,721 constant 2024 US$ | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 394,898 constant 2024 US$ | +9.5% |
| 2007 | 388,676 constant 2024 US$ | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 402,848 constant 2024 US$ | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 421,307 constant 2024 US$ | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 426,207 constant 2024 US$ | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 416,634 constant 2024 US$ | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 408,114 constant 2024 US$ | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 400,648 constant 2024 US$ | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 434,834 constant 2024 US$ | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 470,614 constant 2024 US$ | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 515,343 constant 2024 US$ | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 512,648 constant 2024 US$ | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 499,546 constant 2024 US$ | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 505,262 constant 2024 US$ | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 521,125 constant 2024 US$ | +3.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 521,125 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 131,220 constant 2024 US$, 4.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Australia's 521,125 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23,831 constant 2024 US$, 21.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 201,322 constant 2024 US$ | 194,507 constant 2024 US$ | 208,137 constant 2024 US$ | 2 |
| 1990s | 236,612 constant 2024 US$ | 201,215 constant 2024 US$ | 286,605 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 363,119 constant 2024 US$ | 311,304 constant 2024 US$ | 421,307 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 458,985 constant 2024 US$ | 400,648 constant 2024 US$ | 515,343 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 521,125 constant 2024 US$ | 521,125 constant 2024 US$ | 521,125 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 1 United States 676,306 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 2 Yemen 615,959 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 4 United Kingdom 463,783 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 5 Sweden 450,217 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 441,390 constant 2024 US$ compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Australia was 521,125 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 521,125 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 194,507 constant 2024 US$ in 1989.
- How does Australia rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Australia ranks 3rd out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.