Military spending as a share of GDP in Congo
Congo: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.3% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
2.3%
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
34th
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2015
All-time low
0.2%
in 1960
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Congo, 1960–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Congo recorded 2.3% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 118.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Congo peaked at 3.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1960.
Congo ranks 34th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.2% | — |
| 1961 | 0.8% | +309.4% |
| 1962 | 1.2% | +42.5% |
| 1963 | 1.3% | +5.6% |
| 1964 | 1.4% | +12.9% |
| 1965 | 1.6% | +12.2% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | +11.4% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +16.1% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | -3.4% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | +14.5% |
| 1970 | 2.5% | +8.9% |
| 1971 | 2.4% | -2.4% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 2.8% | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 2.8% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 1979 | 2.5% | -6.8% |
| 1980 | 2.1% | -15.0% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -9.9% |
| 1982 | 1.9% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -11.7% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -10.9% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +7.5% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +39.1% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 2.1% | -6.9% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | -8.1% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | +12.9% |
| 1992 | 2.3% | +10.4% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -15.3% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -38.2% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -11.6% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +30.1% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -15.6% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -12.6% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -41.4% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +39.8% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -7.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +9.5% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +12.7% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +32.3% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +19.8% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +23.3% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +42.4% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -5.5% |
| 2017 | 2.8% | -10.3% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -23.3% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.5% | 0.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More economy & growth data for Congo
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.79 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.01 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 3.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.946 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 2,379 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth -0.4245 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 550.5 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 1.38 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.6209 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Congo?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Congo was 2.3% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1960.
- How does Congo rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Congo ranks 34th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 118.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Congo 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).