Military expenditure in Australia

Australia: Military expenditure was 51.41 billion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
51.41 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 5.3%
World rank
84th
of 167 countries
All-time high
51.41 billion current LCU
in 2024
All-time low
410.50 million current LCU
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Military expenditure in Australia, 1960–2024

020.0B40.0B60.0B196019922024

Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

In 2024, military expenditure in Australia stood at 51.41 billion current LCU. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.3% on the previous year and up 79.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure in Australia peaked at 51.41 billion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 410.50 million current LCU, in 1960.

That places Australia 84th out of 167 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 735.50 million current LCU 410.50 million current LCU 1.18 billion current LCU 10
1970s 1.76 billion current LCU 1.14 billion current LCU 2.77 billion current LCU 10
1980s 5.78 billion current LCU 3.21 billion current LCU 7.97 billion current LCU 10
1990s 10.20 billion current LCU 8.59 billion current LCU 12.04 billion current LCU 10
2000s 17.57 billion current LCU 12.55 billion current LCU 24.31 billion current LCU 10
2010s 30.78 billion current LCU 25.31 billion current LCU 37.50 billion current LCU 10
2020s 46.05 billion current LCU 39.67 billion current LCU 51.41 billion current LCU 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 81 Qatar 56.10 billion current LCU compare
  2. 82 Morocco 54.85 billion current LCU compare
  3. 83 South Africa 51.97 billion current LCU compare
  4. 85 Albania 49.84 billion current LCU compare
  5. 86 Belarus 48.81 billion current LCU compare
  6. 87 Central African Republic 43.16 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More public sector data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure in Australia?
Military expenditure in Australia was 51.41 billion current LCU in 2024, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 51.41 billion current LCU in 2024.
What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 410.50 million current LCU in 1960.
How does Australia rank for military expenditure?
Australia ranks 84th out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
Is military expenditure rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 79.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

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

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