Military spending as a share of GDP in Egypt
Egypt: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.2%
Change on year
up 14.5%
World rank
93rd
of 172 countries
All-time high
18.3%
in 1975
All-time low
1.0%
in 1942
Years of data
84
1855–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Egypt, 1855–2019
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 Egypt is 1.2%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.5% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Egypt peaked at 18.3% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1942.
Egypt ranks 93rd of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 4.6% | — |
| 1937 | 1.1% | -75.8% |
| 1938 | 1.3% | +19.3% |
| 1939 | 1.1% | -20.7% |
| 1940 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 1941 | 1.1% | +1.6% |
| 1942 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 1943 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 1944 | 1.1% | +2.7% |
| 1945 | 1.2% | +15.4% |
| 1946 | 1.1% | -8.8% |
| 1947 | 1.0% | -7.2% |
| 1948 | 1.2% | +14.4% |
| 1949 | 4.7% | +292.3% |
| 1950 | 3.7% | -20.5% |
| 1951 | 3.4% | -8.7% |
| 1952 | 3.9% | +13.8% |
| 1953 | 3.8% | -1.2% |
| 1954 | 3.9% | +1.6% |
| 1955 | 3.4% | -12.8% |
| 1956 | 3.8% | +12.3% |
| 1957 | 3.7% | -4.2% |
| 1958 | 3.6% | -0.7% |
| 1959 | 5.1% | +40.1% |
| 1960 | 5.5% | +7.7% |
| 1961 | 6.0% | +9.8% |
| 1962 | 6.2% | +3.8% |
| 1963 | 6.4% | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 6.8% | +7.1% |
| 1965 | 7.5% | +9.4% |
| 1966 | 7.3% | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 7.3% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 8.2% | +12.4% |
| 1969 | 8.9% | +7.8% |
| 1970 | 11.8% | +33.0% |
| 1971 | 11.9% | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 12.4% | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 16.6% | +33.9% |
| 1974 | 17.0% | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 18.3% | +7.8% |
| 1976 | 15.6% | -14.9% |
| 1977 | 12.8% | -17.9% |
| 1978 | 9.2% | -28.3% |
| 1979 | 7.3% | -20.7% |
| 1980 | 5.7% | -22.0% |
| 1981 | 5.7% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | +10.6% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | +9.7% |
| 1984 | 7.0% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 6.3% | -10.0% |
| 1988 | 5.0% | -20.9% |
| 1989 | 3.8% | -24.6% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | -27.3% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -20.6% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | +12.3% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | -4.9% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -5.2% |
| 1995 | 2.4% | +8.2% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.4% | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | -8.2% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -15.8% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -5.2% |
| 2008 | 1.8% | -10.3% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -8.0% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -13.7% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -27.4% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +14.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1 |
| 1930s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 3 |
| 1940s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.0% | 5.5% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.3% | 7.3% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.1% | 3.8% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More economy & growth data for Egypt
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.145 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 447.41 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 7.2 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 22,215 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1763 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 543.89 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 10,757 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -7.58 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Egypt?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Egypt was 1.2% 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 1975.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1942.
- How does Egypt rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Egypt ranks 93rd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Egypt 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 — 84 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).