Military spending as a share of GDP in Cuba
Cuba: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.1% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
0.1%
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
170th
of 172 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 1906
All-time low
0.0%
in 1994
Years of data
115
1902–2018
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cuba, 1902–2018
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Cuba is 0.1%, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 92.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Cuba peaked at 7.7% in 1906 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1994.
Cuba ranks 170th 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 Cuba, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | 6.6% | — |
| 1903 | 6.8% | +2.6% |
| 1904 | 6.9% | +2.1% |
| 1905 | 7.4% | +7.2% |
| 1906 | 7.7% | +4.1% |
| 1909 | 7.4% | -4.5% |
| 1910 | 6.9% | -6.6% |
| 1911 | 7.0% | +2.1% |
| 1912 | 6.5% | -8.1% |
| 1913 | 6.7% | +3.4% |
| 1914 | 4.7% | -30.3% |
| 1915 | 4.3% | -7.5% |
| 1916 | 3.7% | -13.6% |
| 1917 | 2.8% | -25.2% |
| 1918 | 2.2% | -21.8% |
| 1919 | 1.6% | -27.5% |
| 1920 | 1.2% | -21.6% |
| 1921 | 1.4% | +13.8% |
| 1922 | 1.2% | -14.8% |
| 1923 | 1.0% | -14.1% |
| 1924 | 0.9% | -11.6% |
| 1925 | 1.0% | +8.7% |
| 1926 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 1927 | 1.0% | +1.1% |
| 1928 | 1.1% | +6.7% |
| 1929 | 1.0% | -5.1% |
| 1930 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 1931 | 1.1% | +3.2% |
| 1932 | 1.1% | +4.1% |
| 1933 | 1.2% | +2.0% |
| 1934 | 1.5% | +34.0% |
| 1935 | 1.6% | +2.5% |
| 1936 | 1.8% | +10.6% |
| 1937 | 1.6% | -7.1% |
| 1938 | 1.8% | +13.6% |
| 1939 | 1.7% | -7.0% |
| 1940 | 1.7% | -0.4% |
| 1941 | 1.5% | -11.3% |
| 1942 | 1.3% | -11.6% |
| 1943 | 1.3% | -5.2% |
| 1944 | 1.3% | +2.3% |
| 1945 | 1.5% | +11.8% |
| 1946 | 1.2% | -17.6% |
| 1947 | 1.0% | -13.5% |
| 1948 | 0.9% | -10.9% |
| 1949 | 1.2% | +31.4% |
| 1950 | 1.5% | +25.3% |
| 1951 | 1.6% | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 1.7% | +8.7% |
| 1953 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 1.7% | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 1.6% | -6.7% |
| 1956 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
| 1957 | 1.5% | -5.2% |
| 1958 | 1.5% | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 2.5% | +72.3% |
| 1960 | 3.3% | +30.4% |
| 1961 | 3.8% | +14.3% |
| 1962 | 4.0% | +6.0% |
| 1963 | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 3.7% | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 3.5% | -6.4% |
| 1966 | 3.2% | -7.3% |
| 1967 | 3.2% | -2.6% |
| 1968 | 3.4% | +5.9% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | -6.8% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | -10.2% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -9.9% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +8.1% |
| 1976 | 4.3% | +65.0% |
| 1977 | 4.6% | +7.0% |
| 1978 | 5.2% | +11.4% |
| 1979 | 5.4% | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 4.6% | -14.7% |
| 1981 | 4.5% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 4.3% | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 4.3% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 3.9% | -8.4% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +4.2% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 3.9% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | -8.8% |
| 1991 | 3.2% | -10.6% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -33.4% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -12.2% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | -99.9% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +158537.5% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | +8.9% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -11.8% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -11.3% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +23.8% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -94.1% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | +8.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 7.1% | 6.6% | 7.7% | 6 |
| 1910s | 4.6% | 1.6% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.7% | 2.4% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.2% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 0.0% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
- 167 Ireland 0.2% compare
- 168 Iceland 0.2% compare
- 169 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.2% compare
- 171 Haiti 0.1% compare
- 172 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 0.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Cuba
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 8.37 % change on previous year (2020)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7351 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 7,061 current US$ per person (2020)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 31.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7351 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 72,507 current LCU per person (2024)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -0.0514 % change on previous year (2024)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5615 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 5,863 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 3,714 constant LCU per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Cuba?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Cuba was 0.1% in 2018, 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 Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 1906.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1994.
- How does Cuba rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Cuba ranks 170th out of 172 countries with data for 2018.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is down 92.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Cuba 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 — 115 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).