Military Burden (Military Expenditure / GDP)

A nation’s “military burden” is the percentage of their gross domestic product that is spent on their military. Comparing a nation’s “military burden” provides a yardstick to compare each nation’s emphasis on their military. In 2019, approximately 2.2% of the worldwide production was spent on the military (down from 2.8% in 2009). That number differs widely across countries from a low of 0.0% for Iceland (which does not have a military) to 26.4% for North Korea. Other notable callouts include: 3.4% of American, 3.8% of Russian, 3.4% of Ukrainian, and 1.7% of Chinese gross domestic product was spent on their respective military force.