North America vs Russia: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
North America
3.0%
in 2025
Russia
7.5%
in 2025
North America rank
8th
Russia rank
5th
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- North America
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 7.5% against 3.0% in North America, a difference of 4.5%.
That makes Russia's figure about 2.5 times North America's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1992 it was North America ahead.
North America ranks 8th and Russia ranks 5th of 45 groups.
Across the 4 decades both report, North America averaged higher in 1 and Russia in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North America | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.7% | 3.8% | 0.1% | Russia |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 0.2% | North America |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 4.1% | 0.4% | Russia |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 5.3% | 2.1% | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, North America or Russia?
- Russia, at 7.5% against 3.0% in North America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between North America and Russia?
- 4.5%, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North America and Russia?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2025.
- How do North America and Russia rank globally for military expenditure?
- North America ranks 8th and Russia ranks 5th of 45 groups.
- 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