China vs United States: Military expenditure

China

313.66 billion current USD

in 2024

United States

997.31 billion current USD

in 2024

China rank

2nd

United States rank

1st

Military expenditure over time

United States currently reports 997.31 billion current USD against 313.66 billion current USD in China, a difference of 683.65 billion current USD.

That makes United States's figure about 3.2 times China's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

Globally, China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 167 countries.

Indicator: Military expenditure (current USD)
Unit: current USD
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 211 places, 10,601 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Military spending USD, in current prices (converted at the exchange rate for the given year)