South Korea vs Upper middle income: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure)
South Korea
10.8%
in 2025
Upper middle income
5.6%
in 2024
South Korea rank
31st
Upper middle income rank
31st
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) over time
- South Korea
- Upper middle income
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 10.8% against 5.6% in Upper middle income, a difference of 5.2%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.9 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 26 years both countries report, South Korea has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 31st and Upper middle income ranks 31st of 164 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.5% | 9.3% | 5.3% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 7.2% | 5.5% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 12.6% | 5.5% | 7.1% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 10.8% | 5.3% | 5.6% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, South Korea or Upper middle income?
- South Korea, at 10.8% against 5.6% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between South Korea and Upper middle income?
- 5.2%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Upper middle income?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Upper middle income rank globally for military expenditure?
- South Korea ranks 31st and Upper middle income ranks 31st of 164 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure