Military spending as a share of GDP in Bahrain
Bahrain: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.4% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
3.4%
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
17th
of 172 countries
All-time high
6.0%
in 1982
All-time low
0.9%
in 1972
Years of data
49
1971–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bahrain, 1971–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bahrain recorded 3.4% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and up 57.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Bahrain peaked at 6.0% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1972.
That places Bahrain 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bahrain, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.9% | — |
| 1972 | 0.9% | -8.4% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | +32.7% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | +24.4% |
| 1977 | 2.0% | +34.5% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +58.1% |
| 1979 | 3.9% | +19.8% |
| 1980 | 4.4% | +14.4% |
| 1981 | 5.2% | +17.5% |
| 1982 | 6.0% | +15.6% |
| 1983 | 5.1% | -15.2% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | -9.5% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | -13.8% |
| 1986 | 3.7% | -6.1% |
| 1987 | 3.5% | -5.3% |
| 1988 | 3.6% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 3.9% | +7.2% |
| 1992 | 3.7% | -4.6% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -8.1% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 2.8% | -10.9% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -10.1% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -9.3% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +11.5% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | +12.7% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +14.3% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 0.9% | 3.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 3.5% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Bahrain
More economy & growth data for Bahrain
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.81 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.301 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 9,208 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.1204 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 3,683 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 5.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5432 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Bahrain?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Bahrain was 3.4% 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 Bahrain?
- The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bahrain?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1972.
- How does Bahrain rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Bahrain ranks 17th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Bahrain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Bahrain 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 — 49 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).