Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium
Belgium: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 253,496 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium, 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$.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 253,496 constant 2024 US$ 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$, in 1989.
Belgium ranks 17th of 160 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Belgium, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 100,294 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 82,552 constant 2024 US$ | -17.7% |
| 1990 | 84,047 constant 2024 US$ | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 86,960 constant 2024 US$ | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 91,289 constant 2024 US$ | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 97,834 constant 2024 US$ | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 128,508 constant 2024 US$ | +31.4% |
| 1995 | 141,353 constant 2024 US$ | +10.0% |
| 1996 | 141,360 constant 2024 US$ | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 145,391 constant 2024 US$ | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 147,846 constant 2024 US$ | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 156,767 constant 2024 US$ | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 166,529 constant 2024 US$ | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 158,803 constant 2024 US$ | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 154,772 constant 2024 US$ | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 150,316 constant 2024 US$ | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 166,810 constant 2024 US$ | +11.0% |
| 2005 | 156,391 constant 2024 US$ | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 143,538 constant 2024 US$ | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 158,855 constant 2024 US$ | +10.7% |
| 2008 | 173,184 constant 2024 US$ | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 161,125 constant 2024 US$ | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 170,499 constant 2024 US$ | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 172,662 constant 2024 US$ | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 189,369 constant 2024 US$ | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 151,075 constant 2024 US$ | -20.2% |
| 2014 | 148,230 constant 2024 US$ | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 147,640 constant 2024 US$ | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 158,130 constant 2024 US$ | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 167,130 constant 2024 US$ | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 173,492 constant 2024 US$ | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 214,896 constant 2024 US$ | +23.9% |
| 2020 | 253,496 constant 2024 US$ | +18.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 253,496 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 131,220 constant 2024 US$, 1.9× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 253,496 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 55,593 constant 2024 US$, 4.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 91,423 constant 2024 US$ | 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
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
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.
Download this data
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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.