China Defense Spending
China's officially reported military budget is approximately $292 billion per year, making it the second-largest defense spender in the world after the United States. SIPRI and other analysts note that total military-related expenditure may be higher when including R&D, paramilitary forces, and other categories not always disclosed in the official budget. Spending has grown steadily over recent decades in line with modernization goals.
Since January 1st
Year progress
68.9% of the year
Reading China Defense Spending as a spending counter
The figure China's government reports each March to the National People's Congress covers personnel, training, and equipment procurement for the People's Liberation Army, but leaves out categories that Western analysts typically count as military-related: separately budgeted defense research and development, the paramilitary People's Armed Police, arms imports, and local government subsidies to bases and defense-industry firms.
Chinese defense spending has risen in almost every year for roughly three decades, generally tracking—and in recent years slightly outpacing—the country's nominal GDP growth; the official growth target announced at each spring's National People's Congress session is watched closely as both an economic indicator and a strategic signal to neighbors and to Washington.
The Pentagon's annual China Military Power Report and independent estimates from SIPRI and the IISS put China's actual military-related spending meaningfully above the officially reported figure once the excluded categories are factored back in; separately, swings in the yuan-to-dollar exchange rate can shift the dollar-denominated total from year to year even when domestic yuan spending hasn't changed at all.
Cross-checking the National People's Congress budget report against the SIPRI database and the Pentagon's report is the standard way analysts try to bound the real total. See our Global Military Spending page for China's roughly 12-13% share of the world total, or the US Defense Spending page for a direct comparison of the two largest military budgets.
Time Breakdown
$9,259.26
per second
$555,555.56
per minute
$33,333,333.33
per hour
$800,000,000.00
per day
$292B
per year
How is this calculated?
// Annual amount
$292B
÷ 31,536,000 seconds/year
// Per second
= $9,259.26/sec
The counter starts from January 1st of the current year and accumulates at a rate of $9,259.26 every second, based on China Defense Spending's estimated annual figure of $292B.
Methodology
Figures are based on SIPRI estimates and official Chinese budget data converted to USD. The per-second rate is obtained by dividing the annual defense budget by 31,536,000 seconds. SIPRI adjusts for purchasing power and reporting differences where possible.
While you were here
$0.00
While You Were on This Page
Data Sources
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Chinese government budget reports
https://www.sipri.org/databases/milexDisclaimer
Chinese defense spending estimates vary; official figures may not include all military-related expenditure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does China spend on defense per second?
Based on an estimated annual defense budget of about $292 billion, China spends approximately $9,261 per second on military expenditure according to SIPRI and official data.
How does China's defense spending compare to the US?
China has the second-largest military budget in the world; the US defense budget is roughly three times larger. China's spending has grown consistently while the US budget remains the largest in nominal terms.