Military spending as a share of GDP in Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.7%
Change on year
up 7.8%
World rank
138th
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 2001
All-time low
0.0%
in 1960
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the stood at 0.7%.
The figure is up 7.8% on the previous year and up 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 3.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1960.
Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 138th 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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1961 | 0.4% | +717.8% |
| 1962 | 0.6% | +63.6% |
| 1963 | 0.7% | +17.2% |
| 1964 | 0.6% | -16.8% |
| 1965 | 1.2% | +107.5% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 1.1% | -7.5% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | +9.5% |
| 1970 | 1.5% | +25.2% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | -2.5% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | -14.7% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | +36.1% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | -31.8% |
| 1977 | 0.8% | -20.2% |
| 1978 | 0.7% | -11.6% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +14.5% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -38.6% |
| 1982 | 0.6% | +37.0% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -17.0% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -16.1% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | -28.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +119.9% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -26.0% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -20.1% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | +28.0% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | +14.7% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +119.1% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +4.0% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -30.1% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | +33.6% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -32.3% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +127.1% |
| 2000 | 1.4% | -16.9% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +128.1% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | -59.8% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | -35.5% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +13.6% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -14.2% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -10.9% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -14.5% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +19.1% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +8.1% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +9.6% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +32.6% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +7.0% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | +25.0% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -30.7% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -21.3% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the
More economy & growth data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 21.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4796 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 386.92 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 15.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1,284 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 1.04 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 6.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2716 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 219.08 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 65,256 constant LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 0.7% 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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1960.
- How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 138th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the 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
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).