1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/01/2001   
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DEFENCE EXPENDITURE OVER THE CENTURY

Table 4.4 presents a time series, over the whole of the last century, of the size of defence expenditure (in current prices), and of its percentage of GDP and of Commonwealth sector outlays.


4.4 DEFENCE EXPENDITURE, Size, Percentage of GDP and of Commonwealth Sector Outlays - 1901-02 to 2000-01
Year
Defence
expenditure(a)

$m
GDP

%
Share of
C’wlth Outlays

%
Year
Defence
expenditure(a)

$m
GDP

%
Share of
C’wlth Outlays

%
1901–02
1.9
0.4
8.4
1951–52
318.9
4.2
14.9
1902–03
1.5
0.4
6.2
1952–53
430.6
5.0
19.9
1903–04
1.7
0.4
7.3
1953–54
355.5
3.8
17.2
1904–05
1.9
0.4
8.3
1954–55
355.1
3.6
15.7
1905–06
1.9
0.4
8.0
1955–56
381.4
3.5
15.8
1906–07
2.1
0.4
8.2
1956–57
377.0
3.2
13.8
1907–08
2.7
0.5
9.0
1957–58
370.2
3.1
13.0
1908–09
2.1
0.4
7.3
1958–59
378.6
2.9
12.5
1909–10
3.1
0.5
9.7
1959–60
387.2
2.7
12.8
1910–11
6.0
0.9
14.7
1960–61
396.3
2.6
11.5
1911–12
8.2
1.1
19.3
1961–62
406.2
2.6
10.7
1912–13
8.7
1.1
18.8
1962–63
428.1
2.5
10.7
1913–14
9.5
1.1
19.9
1963–64
520.9
2.8
11.9
1914–15
8.9
4.6
58.3
1964–65
583.0
2.4
12.9
1915–16
9.5
9.5
58.1
1965–66
711.0
2.5
14.1
1916–17
9.0
12.5
62.1
1966–67
912.0
2.4
16.2
1917–18
7.4
12.4
61.8
1967–68
1,065.0
2.5
17.1
1918–19
7.1
11.6
57.1
1968–69
1,100.0
2.5
16.6
1919–20
7.1
7.5
48.2
1969–70
1,044.0
2.4
14.2
1920–21
11.3
4.3
33.2
1970–71
1,091.0
2.4
13.5
1921–22
12.5
2.1
18.5
1971–72
1,157.0
2.5
12.8
1922–23
8.5
0.8
8.6
1972–73
1,225.0
2.6
12.1
1923–24
13.5
1.0
9.4
1973–74
1,268.0
2.4
10.4
1924–25
10.5
0.6
6.0
1974–75
1,558.0
2.4
8.7
1925–26
16.3
1.0
7.5
1975–76
1,759.0
2.3
8.0
1926–27
11.4
0.7
5.2
1976–77
2,071.0
2.4
8.5
1927–28
17.1
1.0
6.7
1977–78
2,248.0
2.4
8.4
1928–29
10.5
0.6
4.2
1978–79
2,456.0
2.3
8.4
1929–30
9.5
0.6
2.9
1979–80
2,839.0
2.3
8.9
1930–31
8.0
0.6
2.4
1980–81
3,347.0
2.4
9.2
1931–32
6.9
0.6
2.9
1981–82
3,886.0
2.5
9.4
1932–33
6.9
0.5
2.9
1982–83
4,501.0
2.6
9.1
1933–34
8.2
0.6
2.9
1983–84
5,056.0
2.6
8.8
1934–35
11.4
0.8
4.2
1984–85
5,657.0
2.6
8.7
1935–36
14.4
0.9
6.1
1985–86
6,333.0
2.6
8.9
1936–37
16.0
0.9
6.9
1986–87
6,823.0
2.6
9.0
1937–38
19.6
1.1
7.9
1987–88
6,967.0
2.3
8.8
1938–39
28.8
1.5
11.5
1988–89
7,295.0
2.1
8.8
1939–40
108.7
5.3
33.0
1989–90
7,913.0
2.1
9.0
1940–41
319.0
14.7
61.7
1990–91
8,480.0
2.2
8.8
1941–42
596.8
23.4
70.6
1991–92
8,731.0
2.3
8.5
1942–43
998.8
34.0
71.6
1992–93
9,703.0
2.4
8.9
1943–44
886.1
29.7
61.6
1993–94
9,746.0
2.3
8.5
1944–45
704.7
24.2
54.8
1994–95
9,731.0
2.1
8.0
1945–46
644.3
21.4
58.5
1995–96
10,011.0
2.0
7.9
1946–47
243.2
7.5
25.3
1996–97
9,999.0
1.9
7.8
1947–48
143.2
3.6
15.0
1997–98
10,415.0
1.9
8.6
1948–49
122.1
2.7
10.9
1998–99
11,010.0
1.9
8.7
1949–50
108.5
2.0
8.7
1999–00
11,908.0
1.9
n.a.
1950–51
182.0
2.6
10.2
2000–01
12,211.0
1.8
n.a.
(a) In current prices.

Source: Department of Defence.