Military expenditure in Canada
Canada: Military expenditure was 29.35 billion current USD in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
29.35 billion current USD
Change on year
up 7.8%
World rank
16th
of 168 countries
All-time high
29.35 billion current USD
in 2024
All-time low
1.57 billion current USD
in 1965
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Military expenditure in Canada, 1960–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in current USD.
Analysis
Canada recorded 29.35 billion current USD for military expenditure in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.8% on the previous year and up 64.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Canada peaked at 29.35 billion current USD in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.57 billion current USD, in 1965.
That places Canada 16th out of 168 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military expenditure in Canada, year by year
| Year | current USD | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.70 billion current USD | — |
| 1961 | 1.68 billion current USD | -1.4% |
| 1962 | 1.67 billion current USD | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 1.61 billion current USD | -3.7% |
| 1964 | 1.66 billion current USD | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 1.57 billion current USD | -5.0% |
| 1966 | 1.61 billion current USD | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.78 billion current USD | +10.0% |
| 1968 | 1.80 billion current USD | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 1.77 billion current USD | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 1.89 billion current USD | +6.7% |
| 1971 | 2.08 billion current USD | +10.0% |
| 1972 | 2.23 billion current USD | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 2.36 billion current USD | +5.8% |
| 1974 | 2.81 billion current USD | +18.9% |
| 1975 | 3.18 billion current USD | +13.2% |
| 1976 | 3.58 billion current USD | +12.6% |
| 1977 | 3.75 billion current USD | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 3.97 billion current USD | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 4.08 billion current USD | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 4.74 billion current USD | +16.2% |
| 1981 | 5.14 billion current USD | +8.4% |
| 1982 | 6.02 billion current USD | +17.0% |
| 1983 | 6.95 billion current USD | +15.5% |
| 1984 | 7.35 billion current USD | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 7.46 billion current USD | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 7.78 billion current USD | +4.3% |
| 1987 | 8.69 billion current USD | +11.8% |
| 1988 | 9.90 billion current USD | +13.8% |
| 1989 | 10.75 billion current USD | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 11.41 billion current USD | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 11.34 billion current USD | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 10.79 billion current USD | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 10.27 billion current USD | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 9.58 billion current USD | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 9.18 billion current USD | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 8.62 billion current USD | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 7.95 billion current USD | -7.8% |
| 1998 | 7.75 billion current USD | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 8.21 billion current USD | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 8.30 billion current USD | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 8.38 billion current USD | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 8.50 billion current USD | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 9.96 billion current USD | +17.2% |
| 2004 | 11.34 billion current USD | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 12.99 billion current USD | +14.6% |
| 2006 | 14.81 billion current USD | +14.0% |
| 2007 | 17.42 billion current USD | +17.6% |
| 2008 | 19.34 billion current USD | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 18.94 billion current USD | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 19.32 billion current USD | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 21.39 billion current USD | +10.8% |
| 2012 | 20.45 billion current USD | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 18.52 billion current USD | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 17.85 billion current USD | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 17.94 billion current USD | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 17.78 billion current USD | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 22.27 billion current USD | +25.2% |
| 2018 | 22.73 billion current USD | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 22.39 billion current USD | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 23.08 billion current USD | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 25.36 billion current USD | +9.9% |
| 2022 | 25.57 billion current USD | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 27.23 billion current USD | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 29.35 billion current USD | +7.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 29.35 billion current USD is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.62 billion current USD, 4.4× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.69 billion current USD | 1.57 billion current USD | 1.80 billion current USD | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.99 billion current USD | 1.89 billion current USD | 4.08 billion current USD | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.48 billion current USD | 4.74 billion current USD | 10.75 billion current USD | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.51 billion current USD | 7.75 billion current USD | 11.41 billion current USD | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.00 billion current USD | 8.30 billion current USD | 19.34 billion current USD | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.06 billion current USD | 17.78 billion current USD | 22.73 billion current USD | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.12 billion current USD | 23.08 billion current USD | 29.35 billion current USD | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More public sector data for Canada
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Canada?
- Military expenditure in Canada was 29.35 billion current USD in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 29.35 billion current USD in 2024.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.57 billion current USD in 1965.
- How does Canada rank for military expenditure?
- Canada ranks 16th out of 168 countries with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (current USD). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)