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https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...

Googled military spending by GDP

China spends more per dollar of GDP on the military - very interesting.

China'a GDP is a bit of an estimate. For any country with a large internal market and a central government the GDP figure isn't very useful.

You must be thinking of GNP which has been supplanted by GDP >precisely< because it better reflects the product of a nation's internal and external trade.

I think the CIA factbook probably does not totally rely on the PRC's reported GDP (which I agree are likely suspect).

I feel dumb for not doing that. But it's as I thought - we're nowhere near the top if you look at it this way. I bet a lot of the money we spend military is 'wasted' due to the high cost of things around here, anyways.

Yes, I was hoping for that also. I am curious as to where North Korea stands. Their nuclear weapons program must eat up a lot of their (presumably small) GDP.

Edit: I answered my own question:

http://www61.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=north+korea+military+...

> how would they spend money they don't have?

Absurd, isn't it?