Figure 5 Average Ratio of Defense Expenditure to GDP by Country (2012-2017) (%)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Defense_expenditure_to_GDP_by_country_white_paper_2019.svg/500px-Defense_expenditure_to_GDP_by_country_white_paper_2019.svg.png)
Figure 6 Average Ratio of Defense Expenditure to Government Expenditure by Country (2012-2017) (%)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Defense_expenditure_to_government_expenditure_by_country_white_paper_2019.svg/500px-Defense_expenditure_to_government_expenditure_by_country_white_paper_2019.svg.png)
As a ratio of spending to government expenditure, from 2012 to 2017, China's average defense expenditure was 5.3%. Comparative figures were: the US about 9.8%, Russia 12.4%, India 9.1%, the UK 4.8%, France 4.0%, Japan 2.5%, and Germany 2.8%. China ranks 4th among these countries in terms of defense expenditure as a percentage of government expenditure on average.