New Zealand vs South Africa: Military expenditure (current USD)
New Zealand
2.86 billion current USD
in 2025
South Africa
3.17 billion current USD
in 2025
New Zealand rank
58th
South Africa rank
55th
Military expenditure (current USD) over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.17 billion current USD against 2.86 billion current USD in New Zealand, a difference of 318.14 million current USD.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 55th of 168 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 122.55 million current USD | 264.29 million current USD | 141.73 million current USD | South Africa |
| 1970s | 279.35 million current USD | 1.27 billion current USD | 986.94 million current USD | South Africa |
| 1980s | 711.15 million current USD | 3.09 billion current USD | 2.38 billion current USD | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.03 billion current USD | 3.06 billion current USD | 2.03 billion current USD | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.20 billion current USD | 2.86 billion current USD | 1.66 billion current USD | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.04 billion current USD | 3.86 billion current USD | 1.81 billion current USD | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.91 billion current USD | 3.25 billion current USD | 345.37 million current USD | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, New Zealand or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 3.17 billion current USD against 2.86 billion current USD in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 318.14 million current USD, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for military expenditure?
- New Zealand ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 55th 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)