China (People’s Republic of) vs OECD members: Military expenditure

China (People’s Republic of)
313.66 billion current USD
in 2024
OECD members
1.73 trillion current USD
in 2024
China (People’s Republic of) rank
2nd
OECD members rank
3rd

Military expenditure over time

  • China (People’s Republic of)
  • OECD members
0500.0B1.0T1.5T196019922024

How they compare

OECD members currently reports 1.73 trillion current USD against 313.66 billion current USD in China (People’s Republic of), a difference of 1.42 trillion current USD.

That makes OECD members's figure about 5.5 times China (People’s Republic of)'s.

Across all 36 years both countries report, OECD members has been ahead every year.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and OECD members ranks 3rd of 167 countries.

OECD members has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China (People’s Republic of) OECD members Difference Ahead
1980s 11.25 billion current USD 548.04 billion current USD 536.79 billion current USD OECD members
1990s 13.41 billion current USD 581.31 billion current USD 567.90 billion current USD OECD members
2000s 48.20 billion current USD 861.05 billion current USD 812.85 billion current USD OECD members
2010s 180.05 billion current USD 1.15 trillion current USD 970.14 billion current USD OECD members
2020s 289.27 billion current USD 1.47 trillion current USD 1.18 trillion current USD OECD members

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military expenditure, China (People’s Republic of) or OECD members?
OECD members, at 1.73 trillion current USD against 313.66 billion current USD in China (People’s Republic of) as of 2024.
What is the difference in military expenditure between China (People’s Republic of) and OECD members?
1.42 trillion current USD, with OECD members ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and OECD members?
36 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2024.
How do China (People’s Republic of) and OECD members rank globally for military expenditure?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 2nd and OECD members ranks 3rd of 167 countries.
Where does this data come from?
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (current USD). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China (People’s Republic of) vs OECD members: Military expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/military-expenditure-current-usd/china/oecd-members/

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About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (current USD)
Unit
current USD
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
211 places, 10,601 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)