Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP in China

China: Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP was 0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
82nd
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP
in 1989
All-time low
0.0157 current USD per US$ of GDP
in 2021
Years of data
36
1989–2024

Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP in China, 1989–2024

00.010.020.031989200620241989: 0.032 current USD per US$ of GDP1990: 0.027 current USD per US$ of GDP1991: 0.025 current USD per US$ of GDP1992: 0.029 current USD per US$ of GDP1993: 0.028 current USD per US$ of GDP1994: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP1995: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP1996: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP1997: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP1998: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP1999: 0.019 current USD per US$ of GDP2000: 0.018 current USD per US$ of GDP2001: 0.02 current USD per US$ of GDP2002: 0.02 current USD per US$ of GDP2003: 0.02 current USD per US$ of GDP2004: 0.019 current USD per US$ of GDP2005: 0.018 current USD per US$ of GDP2006: 0.018 current USD per US$ of GDP2007: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2008: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2009: 0.019 current USD per US$ of GDP2010: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2011: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP2012: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2013: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2014: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2015: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2016: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2017: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2018: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP2019: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2020: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP2021: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP2022: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP2023: 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP2024: 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in current USD per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

China recorded 0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP for military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp in 2024.

The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp in China peaked at 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0157 current USD per US$ of GDP, in 2021.

China ranks 82nd of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP in China, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP in China, 1989 to 2024.
Year current USD per US$ of GDP Change
1989 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP
1990 0.0275 current USD per US$ of GDP -15.0%
1991 0.0255 current USD per US$ of GDP -7.1%
1992 0.0286 current USD per US$ of GDP +12.1%
1993 0.0277 current USD per US$ of GDP -3.1%
1994 0.0174 current USD per US$ of GDP -37.1%
1995 0.0168 current USD per US$ of GDP -3.6%
1996 0.0164 current USD per US$ of GDP -2.0%
1997 0.0162 current USD per US$ of GDP -1.3%
1998 0.0164 current USD per US$ of GDP +1.2%
1999 0.0185 current USD per US$ of GDP +12.9%
2000 0.0182 current USD per US$ of GDP -2.0%
2001 0.0196 current USD per US$ of GDP +7.9%
2002 0.0203 current USD per US$ of GDP +3.7%
2003 0.0197 current USD per US$ of GDP -3.2%
2004 0.0191 current USD per US$ of GDP -2.9%
2005 0.0185 current USD per US$ of GDP -3.3%
2006 0.0184 current USD per US$ of GDP -0.2%
2007 0.0172 current USD per US$ of GDP -6.5%
2008 0.0169 current USD per US$ of GDP -2.0%
2009 0.0186 current USD per US$ of GDP +10.2%
2010 0.017 current USD per US$ of GDP -8.5%
2011 0.0163 current USD per US$ of GDP -4.2%
2012 0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP +2.5%
2013 0.0168 current USD per US$ of GDP +0.6%
2014 0.0171 current USD per US$ of GDP +1.3%
2015 0.0174 current USD per US$ of GDP +2.1%
2016 0.0173 current USD per US$ of GDP -0.5%
2017 0.0168 current USD per US$ of GDP -3.1%
2018 0.0164 current USD per US$ of GDP -2.1%
2019 0.0165 current USD per US$ of GDP +0.4%
2020 0.0172 current USD per US$ of GDP +4.2%
2021 0.0157 current USD per US$ of GDP -8.7%
2022 0.0159 current USD per US$ of GDP +1.5%
2023 0.0162 current USD per US$ of GDP +1.9%
2024 0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP +3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP 1
1990s 0.0211 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0162 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0286 current USD per US$ of GDP 10
2000s 0.0187 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0169 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0203 current USD per US$ of GDP 10
2010s 0.0168 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0163 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0174 current USD per US$ of GDP 10
2020s 0.0164 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0157 current USD per US$ of GDP 0.0172 current USD per US$ of GDP 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 79 Croatia 0.0175 current USD per US$ of GDP compare
  2. 80 Tajikistan 0.0171 current USD per US$ of GDP compare
  3. 81 Somalia 0.0169 current USD per US$ of GDP compare
  4. 83 Iran, Islamic Republic of 0.0166 current USD per US$ of GDP compare
  5. 84 Eswatini 0.0164 current USD per US$ of GDP compare
  6. 85 Senegal 0.016 current USD per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 210 places →

More public sector data for China

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Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp in China?
Military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp in China was 0.0167 current USD per US$ of GDP in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 0.0323 current USD per US$ of GDP in 1989.
What is the lowest military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0157 current USD per US$ of GDP in 2021.
How does China rank for military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp?
China ranks 82nd out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
Is military expenditure (current usd), per unit of gdp rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP in China. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://public-sector.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-current-usd-per-unit-of-gdp/china/

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How this figure is calculated

Military expenditure (current USD) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Military expenditure (current USD) ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP
Unit
current USD per US$ of GDP
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
210 places, 10,381 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Military expenditure (current USD) divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.