Military Spending in China
Our latest data shows that China spent $157,603,000,000 on their military in 2012 which amounted to 2.0% of the country's GDP that year. Check out the chart below for more Chinese military budget data. We can only publish the past 12 years, but SIPRI has data as far back as 1988 on their site.
Total Spent: $1,147,494,000,000 (Last 12 years)
| Year | Dollars Spent | % GDP |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | $45,422,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2002 | $52,832,000,000 | 2.2% |
| 2003 | $57,390,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2004 | $63,560,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2005 | $71,496,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2006 | $84,021,000,000 | 2.1% |
| Year | Dollars Spent | % GDP |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $96,906,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2008 | $106,774,000,000 | 2.0% |
| 2009 | $128,869,000,000 | 2.2% |
| 2010 | $136,467,000,000 | 2.1% |
| 2011 | $146,154,000,000 | 2.0% |
| 2012 | $157,603,000,000 | 2.0% |
Note on Data: Constant (2011) US Dollars are used. For more information about this data visit SIPRI.org.
SIPRI Footnote: The figures for China are for estimated total military expenditure, including estimates for items not included in the official defence budget. On the estimates in local currency and as share of GDP for the period 1989-98, see Shaoguang Wang, The military expenditure of China, 1989 to 98, SIPRI Yearbook 1999: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999), pp. 349. The estimates for the years 1999-2011 are based on: publicly-available figures for official military expenditure and for certain other items; estimates based on official data and Prof. Wang's methodology for others; for the most recent years, where no official data is available for certain items, estimates are based on either the percentage change in official military expenditure, recent trends in spending in the same category, and in the case of the commercial earnings of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), on the assumption of a gradual decrease.
Other Countries in the Region
Sri Lanka$1,543 Million (2012)
Indonesia$7,048 Million (2012)
Bangladesh$1,514 Million (2012)
PNG$69 Million (2012)
Australia$25,555 Million (2012)
Kazakhstan$2,355 Million (2012)
East Timor$34 Million (2012)
Afghanistan$770 Million (2012)
China's Military Branches
Ground Forces, Navy (PLAN; includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (Zhongguo Renmin Jiefangjun Kongjun, PLAAF; includes Airborne Forces), and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (Renmin Wuzhuang Jingcha Budui, PAP); PLA Reserve Force.
Military Service Age in China
18-24 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with a 2-year service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs; a recent military decision allows women in combat roles; the first class of women warship commanders was in 2011.
