United States of America vs Upper middle income: Military expenditure

United States of America
3.4%
in 2024
Upper middle income
1.8%
in 2024
United States of America rank
24th
Upper middle income rank
25th

Military expenditure over time

  • United States of America
  • Upper middle income
246810196019922024

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 3.4% against 1.8% in Upper middle income, a difference of 1.6%.

That makes United States of America's figure about 1.9 times Upper middle income's.

Across all 61 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

United States of America ranks 24th and Upper middle income ranks 25th of 165 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade United States of America Upper middle income Difference Ahead
1960s 8.9% 2.3% 6.6% United States of America
1970s 5.6% 3.2% 2.4% United States of America
1980s 6.2% 2.7% 3.4% United States of America
1990s 4.1% 1.9% 2.3% United States of America
2000s 3.9% 1.7% 2.2% United States of America
2010s 3.9% 1.6% 2.3% United States of America
2020s 3.4% 1.7% 1.7% United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher military expenditure, United States of America or Upper middle income?
United States of America, at 3.4% against 1.8% in Upper middle income as of 2024.
What is the difference in military expenditure between United States of America and Upper middle income?
1.6%, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for United States of America and Upper middle income?
61 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do United States of America and Upper middle income rank globally for military expenditure?
United States of America ranks 24th and Upper middle income ranks 25th of 165 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.

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United States of America vs Upper middle income: Military expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/compare/military-expenditure-percent-of-gdp/united-states/upper-middle-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
210 places, 10,550 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product