Military spending as a share of GDP in Bhutan
Bhutan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bhutan, 1971–2016
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 1.0% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Bhutan peaked at 8.2% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2016.
That places Bhutan 120th out of 172 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 8.2% | — |
| 1972 | 7.8% | -5.2% |
| 1973 | 7.0% | -10.2% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | -9.7% |
| 1975 | 6.1% | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 5.6% | -6.8% |
| 1977 | 5.0% | -10.8% |
| 1978 | 4.5% | -9.7% |
| 1979 | 4.1% | -9.2% |
| 1980 | 3.7% | -11.6% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | -11.8% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -7.4% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 2.4% | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 2.5% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 2.5% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +11.7% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 3.0% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 2.8% | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -14.4% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -16.1% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -8.6% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -9.7% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.1% | 4.1% | 8.2% | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More economy & growth data for Bhutan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 12,720 constant LCU per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 1,490 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 16.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 28.9 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 129,850 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 11.33 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Bhutan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Bhutan was 1.0% in 2016, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 1971.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2016.
- How does Bhutan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Bhutan ranks 120th out of 172 countries with data for 2016.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan 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).