Australia vs South Africa: Military expenditure (current LCU)
Australia
54.81 billion current LCU
in 2025
South Africa
56.76 billion current LCU
in 2025
Australia rank
84th
South Africa rank
82nd
Military expenditure (current LCU) over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 56.76 billion current LCU against 54.81 billion current LCU in Australia, a difference of 1.95 billion current LCU.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 82nd of 168 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 735.50 million current LCU | 188.78 million current LCU | 546.73 million current LCU | Australia |
| 1970s | 1.76 billion current LCU | 1.02 billion current LCU | 733.42 million current LCU | Australia |
| 1980s | 5.78 billion current LCU | 5.36 billion current LCU | 423.23 million current LCU | Australia |
| 1990s | 10.20 billion current LCU | 11.08 billion current LCU | 887.11 million current LCU | South Africa |
| 2000s | 17.57 billion current LCU | 21.56 billion current LCU | 3.99 billion current LCU | South Africa |
| 2010s | 30.78 billion current LCU | 41.92 billion current LCU | 11.14 billion current LCU | South Africa |
| 2020s | 47.59 billion current LCU | 55.18 billion current LCU | 7.59 billion current LCU | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 56.76 billion current LCU against 54.81 billion current LCU in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Australia and South Africa?
- 1.95 billion current LCU, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for military expenditure?
- Australia ranks 84th and South Africa ranks 82nd of 168 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)