Military spending in Australia
Australia: Military spending was 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Military spending in Australia, 1950–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.
Analysis
Australia recorded 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ for military spending in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Australia peaked at 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.19 billion constant 2024 US$, in 1950.
That places Australia 17th out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.03 billion constant 2024 US$ | 3.19 billion constant 2024 US$ | 5.90 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.85 billion constant 2024 US$ | 4.89 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.80 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.22 billion constant 2024 US$ | 9.79 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10.66 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.35 billion constant 2024 US$ | 11.16 billion constant 2024 US$ | 14.74 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.69 billion constant 2024 US$ | 13.68 billion constant 2024 US$ | 16.11 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.30 billion constant 2024 US$ | 16.06 billion constant 2024 US$ | 23.83 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.38 billion constant 2024 US$ | 22.74 billion constant 2024 US$ | 29.81 billion constant 2024 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.50 billion constant 2024 US$ | 31.27 billion constant 2024 US$ | 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 14 Poland 42.53 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 15 Spain 37.69 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 16 Canada 37.53 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 18 United Arab Emirates 27.81 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 19 Netherlands 27.00 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
- 20 Turkey 26.81 billion constant 2024 US$ compare
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Australia?
- Military spending in Australia was 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.26 billion constant 2024 US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.19 billion constant 2024 US$ in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for military spending?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.