Military spending as a share of GDP in Cambodia
Cambodia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
3.8%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
14th
of 172 countries
All-time high
14.0%
in 1972
All-time low
0.1%
in 1988
Years of data
67
1953–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cambodia, 1953–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Cambodia recorded 3.8% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 134.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Cambodia peaked at 14.0% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1988.
That places Cambodia 14th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 3.9% | — |
| 1954 | 4.1% | +7.4% |
| 1955 | 3.2% | -22.8% |
| 1956 | 3.0% | -6.6% |
| 1957 | 2.8% | -6.2% |
| 1958 | 3.3% | +18.6% |
| 1959 | 3.6% | +8.2% |
| 1960 | 6.8% | +88.3% |
| 1961 | 7.8% | +15.7% |
| 1962 | 8.0% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 7.8% | -2.5% |
| 1964 | 7.8% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 7.4% | -5.0% |
| 1966 | 6.3% | -14.6% |
| 1967 | 6.0% | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 5.8% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 5.7% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 10.9% | +91.3% |
| 1971 | 9.7% | -10.6% |
| 1972 | 14.0% | +44.0% |
| 1973 | 7.4% | -46.8% |
| 1974 | 5.4% | -28.1% |
| 1975 | 5.4% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 4.8% | -8.7% |
| 1978 | 4.4% | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 4.0% | -8.7% |
| 1980 | 3.5% | -13.5% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | -5.6% |
| 1982 | 3.2% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 2.8% | -12.8% |
| 1984 | 2.8% | -1.7% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -64.1% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -93.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | -11.9% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +65.9% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +540.5% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +113.1% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +23.9% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -5.9% |
| 1994 | 2.8% | +90.8% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | +21.3% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | -7.8% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | -18.8% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 2.2% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 1.9% | -13.8% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -20.7% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -25.9% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -13.9% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +11.9% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +30.0% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +11.2% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | +8.8% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | +11.9% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | +15.3% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +17.2% |
| 2018 | 3.7% | +11.7% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.1% | 7 |
| 1960s | 6.9% | 5.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.1% | 4.0% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 0.1% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 0.6% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 1.7% | 3.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
More economy & growth data for Cambodia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.59 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 2.87 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 14.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.4314 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 1,239 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 12.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 1,731 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 4.97 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 8.71 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Cambodia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Cambodia was 3.8% 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 Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.0% in 1972.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1988.
- How does Cambodia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Cambodia ranks 14th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 134.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cambodia 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).