Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.3% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
3.3%
Change on year
down 14.2%
World rank
19th
of 172 countries
All-time high
12.0%
in 1994
All-time low
0.7%
in 1955
Years of data
101
1919–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan, 1919–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan stood at 3.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.2% on the previous year and up 116.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan peaked at 12.0% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 1955.
Afghanistan ranks 19th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 0.9% | — |
| 1920 | 0.7% | -15.0% |
| 1921 | 0.9% | +19.2% |
| 1922 | 0.9% | +1.9% |
| 1923 | 0.9% | +2.1% |
| 1924 | 0.8% | -7.3% |
| 1925 | 0.9% | +9.1% |
| 1926 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 1927 | 1.0% | +4.8% |
| 1928 | 1.1% | +9.5% |
| 1929 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 1930 | 1.2% | +5.5% |
| 1931 | 1.2% | +2.6% |
| 1932 | 1.2% | +5.0% |
| 1933 | 1.4% | +9.3% |
| 1934 | 1.7% | +23.3% |
| 1935 | 1.8% | +9.9% |
| 1936 | 1.9% | +2.0% |
| 1937 | 1.8% | -3.8% |
| 1938 | 1.9% | +2.8% |
| 1939 | 1.7% | -6.5% |
| 1940 | 1.7% | -1.9% |
| 1941 | 1.6% | -4.1% |
| 1942 | 1.5% | -6.9% |
| 1943 | 1.4% | -10.9% |
| 1944 | 1.3% | -7.5% |
| 1945 | 1.3% | +4.5% |
| 1946 | 1.1% | -19.2% |
| 1947 | 0.9% | -17.8% |
| 1948 | 0.7% | -15.0% |
| 1949 | 0.8% | +5.6% |
| 1950 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 1951 | 0.7% | +1.3% |
| 1952 | 0.8% | +14.4% |
| 1953 | 0.8% | +4.2% |
| 1954 | 0.7% | -13.5% |
| 1955 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1956 | 0.7% | +6.2% |
| 1957 | 0.8% | +16.0% |
| 1958 | 0.8% | +3.3% |
| 1959 | 1.0% | +19.9% |
| 1960 | 1.1% | +6.0% |
| 1961 | 1.1% | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 1.0% | -11.9% |
| 1964 | 1.1% | +4.1% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 1.0% | -3.5% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | +8.7% |
| 1969 | 1.1% | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | -15.2% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | +19.1% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | +13.5% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | -11.5% |
| 1974 | 1.0% | -5.2% |
| 1975 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +52.4% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +40.5% |
| 1980 | 5.1% | +118.8% |
| 1981 | 5.1% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 4.7% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 4.5% | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 5.1% | +12.7% |
| 1986 | 5.3% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 5.7% | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | +7.8% |
| 1989 | 6.4% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 8.8% | +38.4% |
| 1991 | 9.4% | +7.1% |
| 1992 | 10.2% | +7.9% |
| 1993 | 11.2% | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 4.6% | -61.6% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 4.7% | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | +18.6% |
| 1999 | 5.6% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | -29.7% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | -26.7% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -23.6% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | -18.8% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | -25.7% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | +30.4% |
| 2011 | 5.2% | +161.3% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 6.2% | +13.7% |
| 2014 | 6.5% | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | -16.6% |
| 2017 | 4.5% | -14.2% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -14.6% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -14.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.3% | 4.5% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.7% | 4.4% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.3% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 2.0% | 6.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More economy & growth data for Afghanistan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.59 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -6.24 Percent per annum (2022)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0842 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 35.09 current US$ per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 5.97 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 2,491 current LCU per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1528 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 63.7 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 1,972 constant LCU per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.9 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan was 3.3% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 1994.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 1955.
- How does Afghanistan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Afghanistan ranks 19th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 116.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).