Eswatini vs Lesotho: Military spending as a share of GDP
Eswatini
1.6%
in 2025
Lesotho
1.6%
in 2025
Eswatini rank
93rd
Lesotho rank
90th
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
How they compare
Lesotho currently reports 1.6% against 1.6% in Eswatini, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1977 it was Eswatini ahead.
Eswatini ranks 93rd and Lesotho ranks 90th of 166 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 2 and Lesotho in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eswatini | Lesotho | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 0.6% | Eswatini |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 4.0% | 2.1% | Lesotho |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 3.0% | 1.4% | Lesotho |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 2.4% | 0.7% | Lesotho |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 2.2% | 0.2% | Lesotho |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 0.0% | Eswatini |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Eswatini or Lesotho?
- Lesotho, at 1.6% against 1.6% in Eswatini as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Eswatini and Lesotho?
- 0.0%, with Lesotho ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and Lesotho?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2025.
- How do Eswatini and Lesotho rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Eswatini ranks 93rd and Lesotho ranks 90th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.