Military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark
Denmark: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 355,255 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark, 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$.
Analysis
In 2020, military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark stood at 355,255 constant 2024 US$. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.3% on the previous year and up 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark peaked at 355,255 constant 2024 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 133,806 constant 2024 US$, in 1995.
That places Denmark 10th out of 160 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark, year by year
| Year | constant 2024 US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 152,783 constant 2024 US$ | — |
| 1989 | 147,698 constant 2024 US$ | -3.3% |
| 1990 | 147,811 constant 2024 US$ | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 155,502 constant 2024 US$ | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 163,542 constant 2024 US$ | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 170,056 constant 2024 US$ | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 159,879 constant 2024 US$ | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 133,806 constant 2024 US$ | -16.3% |
| 1996 | 135,046 constant 2024 US$ | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 136,778 constant 2024 US$ | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 141,734 constant 2024 US$ | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 167,477 constant 2024 US$ | +18.2% |
| 2000 | 200,650 constant 2024 US$ | +19.8% |
| 2001 | 217,061 constant 2024 US$ | +8.2% |
| 2002 | 202,182 constant 2024 US$ | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 195,404 constant 2024 US$ | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 213,374 constant 2024 US$ | +9.2% |
| 2005 | 203,300 constant 2024 US$ | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 155,552 constant 2024 US$ | -23.5% |
| 2007 | 150,045 constant 2024 US$ | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 155,805 constant 2024 US$ | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 234,942 constant 2024 US$ | +50.8% |
| 2010 | 251,199 constant 2024 US$ | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 265,137 constant 2024 US$ | +5.5% |
| 2012 | 261,501 constant 2024 US$ | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 239,855 constant 2024 US$ | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 229,315 constant 2024 US$ | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 235,121 constant 2024 US$ | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 258,454 constant 2024 US$ | +9.9% |
| 2017 | 283,003 constant 2024 US$ | +9.5% |
| 2018 | 334,911 constant 2024 US$ | +18.3% |
| 2019 | 334,058 constant 2024 US$ | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 355,255 constant 2024 US$ | +6.3% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 355,255 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for high income countries, which is 131,220 constant 2024 US$, 2.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 355,255 constant 2024 US$ is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 55,593 constant 2024 US$, 6.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 150,240 constant 2024 US$ | 147,698 constant 2024 US$ | 152,783 constant 2024 US$ | 2 |
| 1990s | 151,163 constant 2024 US$ | 133,806 constant 2024 US$ | 170,056 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 192,832 constant 2024 US$ | 150,045 constant 2024 US$ | 234,942 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 269,255 constant 2024 US$ | 229,315 constant 2024 US$ | 334,911 constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 355,255 constant 2024 US$ | 355,255 constant 2024 US$ | 355,255 constant 2024 US$ | 1 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 7 Luxembourg 398,108 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 8 Canada 374,715 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 9 Netherlands 367,337 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 11 Libya 336,927 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 12 Germany 330,155 constant 2024 US$ compare
- 13 Switzerland 326,305 constant 2024 US$ compare
More reference data data for Denmark
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1915 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4109 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.24 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark?
- Military spending per armed forces personnel in Denmark was 355,255 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 355,255 constant 2024 US$ in 2020.
- What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 133,806 constant 2024 US$ in 1995.
- How does Denmark rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
- Denmark ranks 10th out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
- Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.