Kuwait vs OECD members: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Kuwait
4.7%
in 2025
OECD members
2.5%
in 2025
Kuwait rank
13th
OECD members rank
12th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Kuwait
- OECD members
How they compare
Kuwait currently reports 4.7% against 2.5% in OECD members, a difference of 2.2%.
That makes Kuwait's figure about 1.9 times OECD members's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was OECD members ahead.
Kuwait ranks 13th and OECD members ranks 12th of 167 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Kuwait averaged higher in 5 and OECD members in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kuwait | OECD members | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.2% | 4.0% | 0.8% | OECD members |
| 1980s | 6.3% | 3.8% | 2.5% | Kuwait |
| 1990s | 27.2% | 2.5% | 24.6% | Kuwait |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 2.3% | 3.0% | Kuwait |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 2.3% | 2.1% | Kuwait |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 2.4% | 2.6% | Kuwait |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Kuwait or OECD members?
- Kuwait, at 4.7% against 2.5% in OECD members as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Kuwait and OECD members?
- 2.2%, with Kuwait ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and OECD members?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Kuwait and OECD members rank globally for military expenditure?
- Kuwait ranks 13th and OECD members ranks 12th of 167 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product