Military spending per armed forces personnel in Canada

Canada: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 374,715 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
374,715 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
up 10.6%
World rank
8th
of 160 countries
All-time high
374,715 constant 2024 US$
in 2020
All-time low
194,456 constant 2024 US$
in 1996
Years of data
33
1985–2020

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

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1985200220201985: 228.9k constant 2024 US$1989: 227.1k constant 2024 US$1990: 229.5k constant 2024 US$1991: 214.4k constant 2024 US$1992: 222.4k constant 2024 US$1993: 239.4k constant 2024 US$1994: 239.0k constant 2024 US$1995: 223.2k constant 2024 US$1996: 194.5k constant 2024 US$1997: 196.7k constant 2024 US$1998: 211.5k constant 2024 US$1999: 220.6k constant 2024 US$2000: 221.6k constant 2024 US$2001: 235.7k constant 2024 US$2002: 254.2k constant 2024 US$2003: 258.9k constant 2024 US$2004: 233.1k constant 2024 US$2005: 243.4k constant 2024 US$2006: 282.6k constant 2024 US$2007: 308.1k constant 2024 US$2008: 332.0k constant 2024 US$2009: 338.1k constant 2024 US$2010: 305.5k constant 2024 US$2011: 315.8k constant 2024 US$2012: 298.9k constant 2024 US$2013: 277.6k constant 2024 US$2014: 291.1k constant 2024 US$2015: 320.5k constant 2024 US$2016: 313.9k constant 2024 US$2017: 347.4k constant 2024 US$2018: 340.3k constant 2024 US$2019: 338.7k constant 2024 US$2020: 374.7k constant 2024 US$

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

The most recent figure for military spending per armed forces personnel in Canada is 374,715 constant 2024 US$, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.6% on the previous year and up 22.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Canada peaked at 374,715 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 194,456 constant 2024 US$, in 1996.

Canada ranks 8th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 228,034 constant 2024 US$ 227,134 constant 2024 US$ 228,935 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 219,132 constant 2024 US$ 194,456 constant 2024 US$ 239,380 constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 270,782 constant 2024 US$ 221,607 constant 2024 US$ 338,079 constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 314,960 constant 2024 US$ 277,571 constant 2024 US$ 347,392 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 374,715 constant 2024 US$ 374,715 constant 2024 US$ 374,715 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 5 Sweden 450,217 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 6 United Arab Emirates 441,390 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 9 Netherlands 367,337 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 10 Denmark 355,255 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 11 Libya 336,927 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Canada?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Canada was 374,715 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 374,715 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 194,456 constant 2024 US$ in 1996.
How does Canada rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Canada ranks 8th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.