Statizoid

Military spending as a share of GDP by country

Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).

Countries reporting
172
Highest
10.7%
Syria
Lowest
0.0%
Venezuela
Median
1.3%
Years covered
204
1816–2019
Data points
14,793

What the numbers show

Military spending as a share of GDP is currently reported for 172 countries. The highest value is 10.7% in Syria; the lowest is 0.0% in Venezuela.

The median across all reporting countries is 1.3%, and the mean is 1.7%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 1,419.

Over the past decade 109 countries rose and 63 fell. The largest increase was in Libya (up 946.2%), and the largest decrease in Venezuela (down 98.2%).

Military spending as a share of GDP: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Syria 10.7% 2016 up 231.6% volatile
2 Yemen 8.6% 2016 up 178.8% volatile
3 Oman 8.3% 2019 up 65.1% volatile
4 Libya 7.7% 2016 up 946.2% volatile
5 Saudi Arabia 6.7% 2019 up 21.5% volatile
6 Israel 5.6% 2019 up 7.1% volatile
7 Algeria 4.8% 2019 up 78.5% volatile
8 Jordan 4.8% 2019 up 4.0% falling
9 United Arab Emirates 4.8% 2019 up 65.0% rising
10 Kuwait 4.6% 2019 up 51.5% volatile
11 Iraq 4.2% 2019 up 68.7% volatile
12 Armenia 4.2% 2019 up 12.8% flat
13 Pakistan 4.0% 2019 up 80.2% falling
14 Cambodia 3.8% 2019 up 134.1% volatile
15 Lebanon 3.7% 2019 up 25.1% volatile
16 Eritrea 3.4% 2016 down 17.1% volatile
17 Bahrain 3.4% 2019 up 57.2% flat
18 Qatar 3.4% 2019 up 99.4% volatile
19 Afghanistan 3.3% 2019 up 116.3% volatile
20 United States 3.2% 2019 down 8.2% volatile
21 Mali 3.2% 2019 up 142.0% rising
22 Morocco 3.1% 2019 up 20.2% volatile
23 Ukraine 3.1% 2019 up 156.5% falling
24 Brunei 3.0% 2019 up 31.1% falling
25 Azerbaijan 3.0% 2019 up 4.8% rising
26 Colombia 2.7% 2019 down 5.4% volatile
27 Singapore 2.7% 2019 up 0.1% falling
28 Namibia 2.5% 2019 up 2.1% rising
29 Botswana 2.5% 2019 up 5.3% falling
30 South Korea 2.4% 2019 up 37.2% falling
31 East Timor 2.4% 2019 down 11.5% rising
32 China 2.3% 2019 up 62.2% volatile
33 Vietnam 2.3% 2019 up 21.3% volatile
34 Congo 2.3% 2019 up 118.2% flat
35 Estonia 2.2% 2019 up 42.7% rising
36 India 2.2% 2019 up 17.4% flat
37 North Korea 2.1% 2018 down 55.9% falling
38 Mauritania 2.1% 2019 up 20.9% volatile
39 Myanmar 2.1% 2019 down 58.2% volatile
40 Russia 2.1% 2019 up 14.1% volatile
41 Taiwan 2.0% 2019 up 9.7% falling
42 Latvia 2.0% 2019 up 75.6% rising
43 Sri Lanka 2.0% 2019 down 25.4% volatile
44 Ecuador 2.0% 2019 down 2.7% falling
45 Togo 1.9% 2019 up 51.7% rising
46 Australia 1.9% 2019 up 24.2% volatile
47 Lithuania 1.9% 2019 up 100.3% rising
48 Somalia 1.9% 2019 up 58.1% volatile
49 Burkina Faso 1.9% 2019 up 80.0% rising
50 Iran 1.9% 2019 up 25.4% volatile
51 Burundi 1.9% 2019 up 18.8% rising
52 Chile 1.8% 2019 down 15.1% rising
53 Bulgaria 1.8% 2019 up 32.6% volatile
54 Trinidad and Tobago 1.8% 2019 up 283.4% volatile
55 Tunisia 1.8% 2019 up 79.5% volatile
56 Kyrgyzstan 1.8% 2019 up 114.7% volatile
57 Romania 1.8% 2019 up 70.5% volatile
58 Uzbekistan 1.8% 2018 up 73.4% volatile
59 Nepal 1.7% 2019 up 47.8% rising
60 Poland 1.7% 2019 up 21.7% volatile
61 Guinea-Bissau 1.7% 2019 up 1.7% falling
62 United Kingdom 1.7% 2019 down 19.4% volatile
63 Georgia 1.7% 2019 down 63.4% volatile
64 Kenya 1.7% 2019 up 20.6% rising
65 Central African Republic 1.7% 2019 up 20.4% rising
66 Guinea 1.7% 2019 up 98.8% volatile
67 Serbia 1.6% 2019 down 6.6% falling
68 Eswatini 1.6% 2019 down 2.6% volatile
69 Bangladesh 1.6% 2019 up 86.5% rising
70 Honduras 1.6% 2019 up 136.0% rising
71 Chad 1.6% 2019 down 29.1% volatile
72 Niger 1.6% 2019 up 140.3% rising
73 Greece 1.5% 2019 down 17.4% volatile
74 Uganda 1.5% 2019 up 46.6% volatile
75 Lesotho 1.5% 2019 down 23.4% falling
76 Bolivia 1.5% 2019 up 16.5% volatile
77 Uruguay 1.5% 2019 up 41.8% flat
78 Guyana 1.5% 2019 up 92.5% volatile
79 France 1.5% 2019 down 13.0% volatile
80 Angola 1.4% 2019 down 57.1% volatile
81 Panama 1.4% 2019 up 75.3% volatile
82 Jamaica 1.4% 2019 up 157.5% rising
83 Slovakia 1.4% 2019 up 15.8% falling
84 Thailand 1.4% 2019 up 20.3% rising
85 Cyprus 1.4% 2019 down 7.5% rising
86 Senegal 1.3% 2019 up 19.3% falling
87 Croatia 1.3% 2019 up 4.1% volatile
88 New Zealand 1.3% 2019 up 44.8% volatile
89 Montenegro 1.3% 2019 down 9.5% falling
90 Belize 1.3% 2019 up 42.0% falling
91 Norway 1.3% 2019 up 17.9% volatile
92 Maldives 1.2% 2016 down 47.4% volatile
93 Egypt 1.2% 2019 down 29.2% volatile
94 Cote d'Ivoire 1.2% 2019 up 7.8% rising
95 Tanzania 1.2% 2019 up 80.2% volatile
96 Fiji 1.2% 2019 down 12.2% rising
97 Gabon 1.1% 2019 up 42.1% volatile
98 Hungary 1.1% 2019 up 14.9% volatile
99 Tajikistan 1.1% 2019 up 12.3% falling
100 Portugal 1.1% 2019 down 15.8% rising
101 Belarus 1.1% 2019 down 5.9% volatile
102 Equatorial Guinea 1.1% 2019 up 836.9% volatile
103 North Macedonia 1.1% 2019 down 18.9% falling
104 Italy 1.1% 2019 down 6.2% volatile
105 Peru 1.1% 2019 up 16.4% volatile
106 Finland 1.1% 2019 down 2.7% volatile
107 Sudan 1.1% 2019 down 44.6% rising
108 Turkmenistan 1.1% 2016 up 2.1% volatile
109 Czechia 1.1% 2019 down 12.2% falling
110 Mongolia 1.1% 2019 up 80.9% volatile
111 Philippines 1.0% 2019 up 44.1% falling
112 Netherlands 1.0% 2019 down 6.6% falling
113 Zambia 1.0% 2019 up 2.6% volatile
114 Albania 1.0% 2019 down 32.1% volatile
115 South Sudan 1.0% 2019 down 78.5% volatile
116 Denmark 1.0% 2019 down 5.2% falling
117 Brazil 1.0% 2019 down 10.0% volatile
118 Rwanda 1.0% 2019 down 19.5% volatile
119 Turkey 1.0% 2019 down 32.7% volatile
120 Bhutan 1.0% 2016 down 38.1% volatile
121 Cameroon 1.0% 2019 down 6.9% falling
122 Germany 1.0% 2019 down 3.7% volatile
123 Slovenia 0.9% 2019 down 28.5% falling
124 Suriname 0.9% 2016 up 62.2% volatile
125 Malaysia 0.9% 2019 down 33.7% falling
126 Canada 0.9% 2019 down 9.8% volatile
127 Paraguay 0.9% 2019 up 64.4% volatile
128 Spain 0.8% 2019 down 17.4% falling
129 Zimbabwe 0.8% 2019 down 19.1% volatile
130 Costa Rica 0.8% 2019 up 75.4% falling
131 Sweden 0.8% 2019 down 2.4% rising
132 Barbados 0.8% 2019 up 42.1% volatile
133 Mozambique 0.8% 2019 up 38.8% volatile
134 Bahamas 0.8% 2019 up 81.7% volatile
135 Ethiopia 0.8% 2019 down 33.2% volatile
136 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.8% 2019 down 33.4% volatile
137 Belgium 0.7% 2019 down 20.2% volatile
138 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.7% 2019 up 34.9% volatile
139 South Africa 0.7% 2019 down 19.1% volatile
140 Malawi 0.7% 2019 up 6.6% volatile
141 Gambia 0.7% 2019 up 44.4% volatile
142 El Salvador 0.7% 2019 up 30.8% volatile
143 Dominican Republic 0.7% 2019 up 53.5% volatile
144 Kazakhstan 0.7% 2019 down 23.7% falling
145 Argentina 0.6% 2019 up 35.0% volatile
146 Switzerland 0.6% 2019 up 11.3% volatile
147 Japan 0.6% 2019 down 4.5% volatile
148 Austria 0.6% 2019 up 1.8% rising
149 Mauritius 0.6% 2019 up 249.5% volatile
150 Nicaragua 0.6% 2019 up 45.3% volatile
151 Indonesia 0.5% 2019 up 2.7% volatile
152 Madagascar 0.5% 2019 down 18.6% volatile
153 Malta 0.5% 2019 down 7.9% rising
154 Benin 0.5% 2019 down 39.6% falling
155 Cape Verde 0.5% 2019 up 9.5% volatile
156 Guatemala 0.5% 2019 up 47.3% volatile
157 Nigeria 0.4% 2019 up 6.8% volatile
158 Mexico 0.4% 2019 up 10.2% volatile
159 Djibouti 0.4% 2016 down 75.7% volatile
160 Liberia 0.4% 2019 up 6.6% volatile
161 Moldova 0.4% 2019 up 22.3% volatile
162 Ghana 0.4% 2019 up 23.1% volatile
163 Comoros 0.4% 2016 down 21.2% volatile
164 Luxembourg 0.4% 2019 up 6.6% volatile
165 Sierra Leone 0.4% 2019 down 23.3% falling
166 Papua New Guinea 0.4% 2019 up 16.4% falling
167 Ireland 0.2% 2019 down 50.5% volatile
168 Iceland 0.2% 2019 down 7.5% volatile
169 Laos 0.2% 2016 down 30.2% volatile
170 Cuba 0.1% 2018 down 92.1% volatile
171 Haiti 0.1% 2019 up 6.8% volatile
172 Venezuela 0.0% 2019 down 98.2% volatile

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Military spending as a share of GDP by country. Statizoid, drawing on Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/military-spending-as-a-share-of-gdp-gmsd/

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending as a share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 14,793 data points, 1816–2019
Last refreshed

Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).