France vs United Kingdom: Military expenditure (current LCU)
France
60.29 billion current LCU
in 2025
United Kingdom
71.18 billion current LCU
in 2025
France rank
79th
United Kingdom rank
76th
Military expenditure (current LCU) over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 71.18 billion current LCU against 60.29 billion current LCU in France, a difference of 10.90 billion current LCU.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times France's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was France ahead.
France ranks 79th and United Kingdom ranks 76th of 168 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, France averaged higher in 5 and United Kingdom in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.21 billion current LCU | 2.24 billion current LCU | 972.20 million current LCU | France |
| 1970s | 7.31 billion current LCU | 5.57 billion current LCU | 1.74 billion current LCU | France |
| 1980s | 22.60 billion current LCU | 18.49 billion current LCU | 4.11 billion current LCU | France |
| 1990s | 30.63 billion current LCU | 25.12 billion current LCU | 5.51 billion current LCU | France |
| 2000s | 35.23 billion current LCU | 33.42 billion current LCU | 1.81 billion current LCU | France |
| 2010s | 41.00 billion current LCU | 41.15 billion current LCU | 150.22 million current LCU | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 53.77 billion current LCU | 57.58 billion current LCU | 3.81 billion current LCU | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, France or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 71.18 billion current LCU against 60.29 billion current LCU in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between France and United Kingdom?
- 10.90 billion current LCU, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for military expenditure?
- France ranks 79th and United Kingdom ranks 76th 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)