Military expenditure in North America
North America: Military expenditure was 8.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in North America, 2001–2024
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
North America recorded 8.5% for military expenditure in 2024.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in North America peaked at 11.2% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2021.
That places North America 9th out of 43 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Military expenditure in North America, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9.0% | — |
| 2002 | 9.6% | +7.5% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 11.0% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 9.4% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 9.1% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 8.9% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 8.7% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | -14.1% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | +13.8% |
| 2023 | 8.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 8.5% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.5% | 9.0% | 11.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.7% | 8.7% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 7.4% | 8.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North America
More public sector data for North America
- Arms imports 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 3.56 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 56.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.36 billion SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per capita 2,692 current USD per person (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), per unit of GDP 0.0325 current USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), annual growth rate 8.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Military expenditure (current USD), gaps filled 1.03 trillion current USD (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per square kilometre 48.39 SIPRI trend indicator values per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in North America?
- Military expenditure in North America was 8.5% in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2011.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2021.
- How does North America rank for military expenditure?
- North America ranks 9th out of 43 groups with data for 2024.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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