Military spending as a share of GDP in Argentina
Argentina: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.6% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.6%
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
145th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 1954
All-time low
0.2%
in 1875
Years of data
179
1841–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Argentina, 1841–2019
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 Argentina stood at 0.6%.
The figure is down 4.5% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Argentina peaked at 4.0% in 1954 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1875.
Argentina ranks 145th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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 Argentina, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1841 | 1.9% | — |
| 1842 | 1.4% | -26.4% |
| 1843 | 1.4% | -2.2% |
| 1844 | 1.3% | -3.3% |
| 1845 | 1.2% | -6.0% |
| 1846 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 1847 | 1.3% | +4.6% |
| 1848 | 1.4% | +8.3% |
| 1849 | 1.5% | +9.4% |
| 1850 | 1.6% | +2.5% |
| 1851 | 1.5% | -5.6% |
| 1852 | 1.3% | -8.1% |
| 1853 | 1.2% | -9.2% |
| 1854 | 1.1% | -12.8% |
| 1855 | 0.9% | -12.5% |
| 1856 | 0.9% | -6.3% |
| 1857 | 0.7% | -20.0% |
| 1858 | 0.8% | +8.4% |
| 1859 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 1860 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 1861 | 0.6% | -12.9% |
| 1862 | 0.6% | -8.2% |
| 1863 | 0.5% | -14.1% |
| 1864 | 0.5% | -7.4% |
| 1865 | 1.2% | +149.5% |
| 1866 | 1.2% | +1.3% |
| 1867 | 0.6% | -52.4% |
| 1868 | 1.2% | +114.8% |
| 1869 | 1.4% | +16.3% |
| 1870 | 1.1% | -19.6% |
| 1871 | 0.2% | -80.9% |
| 1872 | 0.2% | +1.4% |
| 1873 | 0.2% | +13.7% |
| 1874 | 0.2% | -28.7% |
| 1875 | 0.2% | -5.4% |
| 1876 | 0.2% | +6.7% |
| 1877 | 0.2% | -2.8% |
| 1878 | 1.2% | +589.6% |
| 1879 | 1.2% | +2.2% |
| 1880 | 1.2% | +1.7% |
| 1881 | 1.3% | +8.8% |
| 1882 | 1.4% | +3.2% |
| 1883 | 1.5% | +8.0% |
| 1884 | 1.6% | +9.2% |
| 1885 | 1.5% | -9.1% |
| 1886 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 1887 | 1.3% | -12.4% |
| 1888 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 1889 | 1.0% | -16.9% |
| 1890 | 0.9% | -7.6% |
| 1891 | 0.8% | -15.2% |
| 1892 | 0.8% | +3.8% |
| 1893 | 0.7% | -4.2% |
| 1894 | 0.8% | +2.0% |
| 1895 | 0.8% | +8.6% |
| 1896 | 1.0% | +26.8% |
| 1897 | 1.1% | +8.9% |
| 1898 | 1.0% | -14.2% |
| 1899 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 1900 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 1901 | 0.9% | -6.9% |
| 1902 | 0.9% | +1.2% |
| 1903 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 1904 | 0.8% | -4.5% |
| 1905 | 0.8% | -5.8% |
| 1906 | 0.8% | +0.5% |
| 1907 | 0.8% | -0.4% |
| 1908 | 0.8% | -2.1% |
| 1909 | 0.8% | +6.0% |
| 1910 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 1911 | 0.8% | +3.3% |
| 1912 | 0.9% | +1.6% |
| 1913 | 0.9% | +1.4% |
| 1914 | 0.6% | -27.7% |
| 1915 | 0.7% | +14.0% |
| 1916 | 0.6% | -20.0% |
| 1917 | 0.5% | -14.0% |
| 1918 | 0.4% | -8.1% |
| 1919 | 0.5% | +7.3% |
| 1920 | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 1921 | 0.6% | +28.4% |
| 1922 | 0.6% | +6.1% |
| 1923 | 0.7% | +5.4% |
| 1924 | 0.7% | -0.2% |
| 1925 | 0.8% | +17.0% |
| 1926 | 0.8% | +3.1% |
| 1927 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 1928 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 1929 | 0.8% | -2.3% |
| 1930 | 0.8% | +5.0% |
| 1931 | 0.8% | -5.0% |
| 1932 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 1933 | 0.7% | -4.0% |
| 1934 | 0.9% | +24.5% |
| 1935 | 0.9% | -4.9% |
| 1936 | 0.9% | +9.5% |
| 1937 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 1938 | 0.9% | -2.0% |
| 1939 | 1.0% | +6.8% |
| 1940 | 1.1% | +10.6% |
| 1941 | 1.1% | +1.9% |
| 1942 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 1943 | 1.0% | -9.8% |
| 1944 | 2.4% | +140.3% |
| 1945 | 2.9% | +20.2% |
| 1946 | 2.5% | -13.5% |
| 1947 | 2.3% | -9.4% |
| 1948 | 2.4% | +3.4% |
| 1949 | 3.5% | +46.7% |
| 1950 | 3.0% | -13.0% |
| 1951 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 3.6% | +20.5% |
| 1953 | 3.9% | +7.1% |
| 1954 | 4.0% | +3.0% |
| 1955 | 2.4% | -40.9% |
| 1956 | 2.4% | +2.7% |
| 1957 | 2.3% | -6.9% |
| 1958 | 2.0% | -14.0% |
| 1959 | 1.6% | -17.3% |
| 1960 | 1.5% | -5.0% |
| 1961 | 1.6% | +3.3% |
| 1962 | 1.6% | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 1.4% | -12.4% |
| 1964 | 1.5% | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 1.4% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -9.6% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -11.5% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 1.2% | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 1.0% | -11.8% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | +8.2% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +18.1% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -5.7% |
| 1976 | 1.4% | +8.9% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | +22.2% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +11.9% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | +29.8% |
| 1980 | 3.0% | +20.4% |
| 1981 | 3.4% | +15.3% |
| 1982 | 3.8% | +10.1% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -23.1% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | -8.5% |
| 1985 | 2.2% | -16.6% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -17.3% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -11.6% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -13.1% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -15.8% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +11.6% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -9.9% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -48.1% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -11.8% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -8.2% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +15.9% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | +14.5% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +14.0% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -10.0% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +8.7% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -20.0% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 9 |
| 1850s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.0% | 1.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.8% | 1.6% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Argentina
- 142 El Salvador 0.7% compare
- 143 Dominican Republic 0.7% compare
- 144 Kazakhstan 0.7% compare
- 146 Switzerland 0.6% compare
- 147 Japan 0.6% compare
- 148 Austria 0.6% compare
More economy & growth data for Argentina
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.73 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 2,382 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2287 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 3,408 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 38.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 283.83 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 4.23 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.41 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Argentina?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Argentina was 0.6% 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 Argentina?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 1954.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Argentina?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1875.
- How does Argentina rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Argentina ranks 145th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Argentina?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Argentina 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 179 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).