Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium

Belgium: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 253,496 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
253,496 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 18.0%
World rank
17th
of 160 countries
All-time high
253,496 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
All-time low
82,552 constant 2024 US$
in 1989
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium, 1985–2020

100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k1985200220201985: 100.3k constant 2024 US$1989: 82.6k constant 2024 US$1990: 84.0k constant 2024 US$1991: 87.0k constant 2024 US$1992: 91.3k constant 2024 US$1993: 97.8k constant 2024 US$1994: 128.5k constant 2024 US$1995: 141.4k constant 2024 US$1996: 141.4k constant 2024 US$1997: 145.4k constant 2024 US$1998: 147.8k constant 2024 US$1999: 156.8k constant 2024 US$2000: 166.5k constant 2024 US$2001: 158.8k constant 2024 US$2002: 154.8k constant 2024 US$2003: 150.3k constant 2024 US$2004: 166.8k constant 2024 US$2005: 156.4k constant 2024 US$2006: 143.5k constant 2024 US$2007: 158.9k constant 2024 US$2008: 173.2k constant 2024 US$2009: 161.1k constant 2024 US$2010: 170.5k constant 2024 US$2011: 172.7k constant 2024 US$2012: 189.4k constant 2024 US$2013: 151.1k constant 2024 US$2014: 148.2k constant 2024 US$2015: 147.6k constant 2024 US$2016: 158.1k constant 2024 US$2017: 167.1k constant 2024 US$2018: 173.5k constant 2024 US$2019: 214.9k constant 2024 US$2020: 253.5k constant 2024 US$

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

Belgium recorded 253,496 constant 2024 US$ for military spending per armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.0% on the previous year and up 48.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium peaked at 253,496 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 82,552 constant 2024 US$, in 1989.

Belgium ranks 17th of 160 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 91,423 constant 2024 US$ 82,552 constant 2024 US$ 100,294 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 122,136 constant 2024 US$ 84,047 constant 2024 US$ 156,767 constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 159,032 constant 2024 US$ 143,538 constant 2024 US$ 173,184 constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 169,312 constant 2024 US$ 147,640 constant 2024 US$ 214,896 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 253,496 constant 2024 US$ 253,496 constant 2024 US$ 253,496 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 14 Kuwait 318,743 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 15 New Zealand 317,716 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 16 Norway 301,759 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 18 Saudi Arabia 251,583 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 19 Qatar 200,435 constant 2024 US$ compare
  6. 20 Singapore 199,835 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium was 253,496 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 Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 253,496 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 82,552 constant 2024 US$ in 1989.
How does Belgium rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Belgium ranks 17th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 48.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.