Malaysia vs Thailand: Military spending as a share of GDP
Malaysia
1.0%
in 2025
Thailand
1.0%
in 2025
Malaysia rank
123rd
Thailand rank
122nd
Military spending as a share of GDP over time
- Malaysia
- Thailand
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 1.0% against 1.0% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 69 shared years of data; in 1957 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 123rd and Thailand ranks 122nd of 166 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 6 and Thailand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 0.3% | Malaysia |
| 1960s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 0.9% | Malaysia |
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.3% | 1.1% | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.8% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.0% | Thailand |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.2% | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending as a share of gdp, Malaysia or Thailand?
- Thailand, at 1.0% against 1.0% in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military spending as a share of gdp between Malaysia and Thailand?
- 0.0%, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?
- 69 years are reported by both, from 1957 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and Thailand rank globally for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 123rd and Thailand ranks 122nd 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.