What happens when a country picks schools over soldiers, parks over tanks? A handful of nations have done just that, choosing life without a standing army. They still stay safe and stable, yet they spend more on people, nature, and long-term growth.
Countries without armies rely on laws, treaties, and collaboration instead of military power. The idea might sound risky at first. In practice, it often means better public services, a calmer society, and a stronger focus on climate and culture.
Reasons Countries Live Without Armies
Some nations made a peace-first decision after conflict. Leaders looked at the cost of war and chose to invest in society instead. Reducing the chance of internal strife became a priority. Police, courts, and local services took centre stage, and the mood of national life changed with them.
Alliances matter too. Countries can stay safe by signing clear defence deals. Iceland, for instance, is a NATO member, so it relies on collective defence. This spreads risk across many partners. Smaller states gain security that would be too costly to build alone.
Size and geography also shape policy. Microstates or island nations have limited land, tight communities, and defined borders. The cost of a traditional army can outweigh any benefit. Neutrality, or a long habit of staying out of wars, also helps. When neighbours are friendly and trade flows, diplomacy pays.
The gains are real. Without a military budget, money can flow to healthcare, education, and infrastructure. That improves life expectancy, skills, and social trust. It also lowers the chance of conflict. Citizens see the results in clinics, schools, and clean public spaces.
Historical Decisions That Shaped This Path
- Costa Rica, 1948: After a short civil war, the new leadership abolished the army. The constitution redirected funds to schools and hospitals. The gamble paid off, and peace held.
- Iceland, post-World War II: With a small population and a vast ocean border, Iceland opted for collective defence. It joined NATO in 1949 and built a capable coast guard, not an army.
Costa Rica: A Model of Peace and Nature
Costa Rica sits in Central America, with the Pacific on one side and the Caribbean on the other. Around five million people live there. The country scrapped its army in 1948, then moved money into schools, clinics, and roads. Community policing, a strong judiciary, and international treaties support security.
Nature drives the economy. Costa Rica hosts biodiversity hotspots, from cloud forests to turtle beaches. Eco-tourism funds jobs and conservation. Protected areas cover more than a quarter of the land. Life expectancy is about 80 years, and the country often ranks high for happiness. People feel the benefits of stable policy in daily life, from safe towns to good public services.
Iceland: Nordic Island Relies on Alliances
Iceland is a North Atlantic island of roughly 390,000 people. It has no standing army, yet it is a NATO member. The United States operated a defence base at Keflavík during the Cold War, and allied rotations still support regional security. Iceland’s coast guard handles surveillance, rescue, and maritime protection.
Energy sets Iceland apart. Almost all electricity comes from geothermal and hydropower. The country ranks high on gender equality, education, and social trust. Its welfare system, small population, and active civic life foster strong cohesion. Volcanic landscapes and open seas shape both culture and economy, from fishing to tech start-ups powered by clean energy.
These Countries Invest in Better Lives
Without a traditional army, governments can shift money to programmes that change daily life. The results are visible in forests, clinics, classrooms, and clean energy grids.
Costa Rica redirected funds to national parks, public health, and schools. The payoff came in tourism revenues, lower illness, and a skilled workforce. Iceland put national effort into renewable energy and welfare, which cut fuel imports and lifted living standards. Andorra built strong health services and public safety, keeping crime low and streets welcoming to residents and visitors.
Compared with nations that spend large shares of their budgets on defence, these countries show a different route to security. The investment goes to people and place. Over time, that builds trust, skills, and resilience against shocks. The economy benefits too, as clean environments and educated citizens draw visitors and investors.
Boosting Environmental Protection and Green Initiatives
- Costa Rica’s forests: After heavy deforestation in past decades, forest cover has rebounded to over half the country’s land. Parks and reserves protect wildlife and watersheds. The government has pledged carbon neutrality mid-century and uses payments for ecosystem services to reward conservation.
- Iceland’s geothermal power: Homes heat with geothermal energy, and the grid runs mainly on geothermal and hydro. Clean power cuts emissions and supports new industries, from data centres to green fuels.
Cleaner water, healthier forests, and steady energy prices make life better. Tourists notice. So do local families who hike safe trails and pay lower heating bills.
Enhancing Education, Healthcare, and Social Welfare
- Education: Costa Rica funds free education and maintains high literacy. Strong primary and secondary schools lead to better jobs and stable communities.
- Healthcare: Iceland runs universal healthcare, with strong outcomes and long life expectancy. Andorra’s health services achieve similar results, supported by careful public spending.
- Social welfare: These countries keep poverty low with broad welfare systems. People get support during hard times, so social tension stays low and public trust grows.
These choices build human capital. Children learn more, adults stay healthy, and older people live longer with dignity. That is security, measured in years, not in weapons.
Andorra Has No Standing Army
Andorra is one of the world’s smallest countries, nestled between France and Spain, with a population of around 80,000 (roughly the same as Carlisle or Rugby). Known for its ski resorts, the official language is Catalan. But most people also speak French, Spanish or Portuguese.
Neutral during World War II, Andorra does not need to spend money on defence budgets, as it doesn’t go to war or invade other countries. There is an agreed treaty so that France and Spain would offer protection if needed, but domestic funds are instead spent on other things. Andorra has not been to war for over 1000 years.
Andorra Also Has No Airport
This is more by accident as the country is small and mountainous. So people fly to Spain and then drive or take the train into the country.
England has a few airports, but all sustainability experts say there is no need for more runways at Heathrow or Luton (which has poor reviews – it needs improving, not expanding).
Andorra Has No National Bank or Currency
Andorra has no national currency (it uses the Euro) but also has no national bank. Even the government has to use private banks.
In England we have many high street banks, but there are a few greener banks to switch to (takes 10 minutes) that spend money on better things like clean energy and organic farming. Interestingly despite using the Euro, Andorra is not part of the EU.
Andorra Has Two Princes (who get on)
Unlike the public media arguments here between our two main princes, in Andorra, the country is ruled by two princes who get on well. But neither are local. It’s all a bit complicated as they are not real princes either – one is the Bishop of Urgell and the other is the President of France!
It’s a bit bonkers, as this means that one of their rulers is elected by voters in another country! And the other elected by the Pope in Rome! Having said that, many people think it odd that we are ruled over by a family that was never elected either!
Andorra also had a self-proclaimed ‘world king!’
Just like our previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson who proclaimed he would like to be ‘world king’ (and did not respect responsibilities that came with the job), Andorra had Boris I (King of Andorra), who was actually Russian swindler Boris Skyossyreff. Who in 1934 declared war on the Bishop of Urgell (one of Andorra’s co-princes, see above).
However, the Bishop arrested him and threw him out of the country! He ended up serving 25 years in a Siberian camp, before being released and dying in his 90s.
One thing not to learn from Andorra, is that people smoke more cigarettes than anyone on earth, including indoor shops and buildings.
How that equates with the longevity nobody is quite sure, but perhaps it’s due to a balance of all the other healthy lifestyle choices.
How Much is UK Defence Spending?
In 2025, the UK defence budget was projected to be almost £60 billion, almost 3% of GDP. Of course we need to keep safe, but usually selling arms to dodgy regimes and keeping nuclear power (including Trident) are not good ideas. Many are appalled that we are selling arms to Israel, that is using the bombs to blow up hospitals in Gaza, killing and starving innocent people and animals.
Trident is a big white elephant (we don’t need a nuclear deterrent, this is ‘old world’ philosophy). Many modern countries (like New Zealand and Austria) are nuclear-free, and use the colossal amount of money saved on other things.
Running Trident costs around £3 billion a year, and replacing it will cost at least £205 billion, according to calculations by CND. This money by contrast could be pay for:
- Building new hospitals and funding more nurses. It costs around £100 billion to pay for 180 state-of-the-art hospitals or 1.5 million affordable homes (not on wildlife-rich land). But government want to spend it on a nuclear deterrent instead?
- Reducing NHS backlogs, by funding more doctors
- Building sustainable affordable homes and ending homelessness
- Building new schools and increasing teacher salaries
- Training young people in new skills
- Investing in better cleaner energy
The jobs lost by reducing the size of the Army and Navy could be go into new skills for renewable energy, insulating homes and other technical and safer jobs that would be better-paid and make a real difference to reducing bills for people nationwide, and help to stop climate change. Many also have the skills to reduce terrorism and cyber-hacking.
