Indonesia's Military Defense Budget Remains Below Singapore's

In 2021, Indonesia ranked first in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) in terms of military strength, according to the Global Firepower ranking agency. However, its military defense budget was smaller than Singapore's.

Based on Global Firepower data, Indonesia's military budget was US$9.2 billion in 2021. This placed it second after Singapore, which had a military budget of US$10.7 billion. For comparison, Singapore's land area is only 728 square kilometers, while Indonesia's is 1.9 million square kilometers.

Thailand, with a military budget of US$7.2 billion, ranked third. Vietnam followed in fourth place with a military budget of US$6.39 billion. Next was the Philippines in fifth place (US$4.25 billion) and Malaysia in sixth (US$3.85 billion).

Myanmar ranked seventh with a military budget of US$2 billion. Cambodia was eighth (US$600 million), and Laos ninth (US$18 million).

For context, the United States (US) had the world's largest military budget at US$740.5 billion. China followed with US$178.2 billion, and India with US$73.65 billion.

To further enhance the combat capabilities of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the government allocated a military budget of Rp 133.9 trillion in the 2022 State Budget Draft (RAPBN). This represents a 13% increase compared to the 2021 outlook of Rp 118.2 trillion.