Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon
Cameroon: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
1.0%
Change on year
up 8.3%
World rank
121st
of 172 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 1986
All-time low
0.7%
in 2001
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon, 1960–2019
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 Cameroon stood at 1.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon peaked at 1.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2001.
Cameroon ranks 121st of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.0% | — |
| 1961 | 1.1% | +14.5% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | +10.5% |
| 1963 | 1.3% | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 1.3% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | -4.8% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | +5.1% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | -7.3% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | +4.6% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -9.3% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -7.6% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | +22.3% |
| 1984 | 1.4% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -6.1% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +10.0% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -6.4% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | -11.6% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -8.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +12.5% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +20.8% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +13.5% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -16.6% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More economy & growth data for Cameroon
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.05 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5036 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 993.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 293.07 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 578,042 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.386 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon was 1.0% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2001.
- How does Cameroon rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Cameroon ranks 121st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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 — 60 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).