China vs United States: Military expenditure

China

2.25 trillion current LCU

in 2024

United States

997.31 billion current LCU

in 2024

China rank

26th

United States rank

29th

Military expenditure over time

China currently reports 2.25 trillion current LCU against 997.31 billion current LCU in United States, a difference of 1.26 trillion current LCU.

That makes China's figure about 2.3 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1989 it was United States ahead.

Globally, China ranks 26th and United States ranks 29th of 167 countries.

Indicator: Military expenditure (current LCU)
Unit: current LCU
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 167 places, 8,248 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)