Civometry

Defence spending as a share of GDP: record highs and lows

The extremes of defence spending as a share of gdp as published by HM Treasury, across the 24 periods held here (Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.

Highest published

2.4%Year ending March 2010 — the same figure was published for at least one other period

Lowest published

1.8%Year ending March 2017 — the same figure was published for at least one other period

The full series

Defence spending as a share of GDP: Year ending March 2003 to Year ending March 2026LabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0%1%2%20052010201520202025Year ending March 2003: 2.2% percent of GDP · published 17 July 2025Year ending March 2004: 2.3% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2005: 2.2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2006: 2.2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2007: 2.2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2008: 2.1% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2009: 2.3% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2010: 2.4% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2011: 2.4% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2012: 2.3% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2013: 2.1% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2014: 2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2015: 1.9% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2016: 1.9% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2017: 1.8% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2018: 1.8% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2019: 1.8% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2020: 1.9% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2021: 2.1% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2022: 2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2023: 2.1% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2024: 2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2025: 2.2% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026Year ending March 2026: 2.1% percent of GDP · published 2 September 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover, tap or use arrow keys to read a value; tap again to unpin
The chart as a table
PeriodDefence spending as a share of GDP
Year ending March 20032.2%
Year ending March 20042.3%
Year ending March 20052.2%
Year ending March 20062.2%
Year ending March 20072.2%
Year ending March 20082.1%
Year ending March 20092.3%
Year ending March 20102.4%
Year ending March 20112.4%
Year ending March 20122.3%
Year ending March 20132.1%
Year ending March 20142%
Year ending March 20151.9%
Year ending March 20161.9%
Year ending March 20171.8%
Year ending March 20181.8%
Year ending March 20191.8%
Year ending March 20201.9%
Year ending March 20212.1%
Year ending March 20222%
Year ending March 20232.1%
Year ending March 20242%
Year ending March 20252.2%
Year ending March 20262.1%

What a record here is, and is not

A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.