Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Denmark
Denmark: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 6.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Denmark, 1988–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 6.6% for military expenditure in 2025. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 38.6% on the previous year and up 224.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Denmark peaked at 6.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2015.
That places Denmark 58th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 3.6% | — |
| 1989 | 3.5% | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 3.5% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 3.3% | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 3.2% | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -7.1% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -11.0% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 2.5% | +12.2% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 4.2% | +39.9% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +12.9% |
| 2025 | 6.6% | +38.6% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 6.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 1.4× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 6.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Denmark changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +39.9% | 3.0% | 4.2% |
| 2025 | +38.6% | 4.8% | 6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 2.6% | 6.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More public sector data for Denmark
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- Arms imports 278.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 71.44 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 55.84 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Denmark?
- Military expenditure in Denmark was 6.6% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2015.
- How does Denmark rank for military expenditure?
- Denmark ranks 58th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 224.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure