Japan vs South Korea: Military expenditure (current USD)
Japan
55.27 billion current USD
in 2024
South Korea
47.57 billion current USD
in 2024
Japan rank
10th
South Korea rank
11th
Military expenditure (current USD) over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 55.27 billion current USD against 47.57 billion current USD in South Korea, a difference of 7.70 billion current USD.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 11th of 168 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 815.55 million current USD | 209.46 million current USD | 606.09 million current USD | Japan |
| 1970s | 4.69 billion current USD | 1.45 billion current USD | 3.24 billion current USD | Japan |
| 1980s | 16.68 billion current USD | 5.60 billion current USD | 11.08 billion current USD | Japan |
| 1990s | 39.98 billion current USD | 12.85 billion current USD | 27.14 billion current USD | Japan |
| 2000s | 43.76 billion current USD | 20.02 billion current USD | 23.74 billion current USD | Japan |
| 2010s | 50.43 billion current USD | 36.28 billion current USD | 14.15 billion current USD | Japan |
| 2020s | 50.33 billion current USD | 47.75 billion current USD | 2.59 billion current USD | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 55.27 billion current USD against 47.57 billion current USD in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Japan and South Korea?
- 7.70 billion current USD, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for military expenditure?
- Japan ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 11th of 168 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)