Military spending as a share of GDP in Eritrea
Eritrea: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.4% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Military spending as a share of GDP in Eritrea, 1993–2016
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Eritrea recorded 3.4% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Eritrea peaked at 28.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2016.
That places Eritrea 16th out of 172 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 11.5% | — |
| 1994 | 9.3% | -19.4% |
| 1995 | 8.9% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 9.4% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 11.4% | +21.0% |
| 1998 | 28.2% | +147.4% |
| 1999 | 28.6% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 18.4% | -35.8% |
| 2001 | 15.8% | -14.2% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | -13.8% |
| 2003 | 10.0% | -26.4% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -46.0% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -19.3% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.3% | 8.9% | 28.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 3.8% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More economy & growth data for Eritrea
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.25 Percent per annum (2019)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.84 Percent per annum (2019)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 19.54 % change on previous year (2011)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 35.5 % change on previous year (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9721 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 625.02 current US$ per person (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 35.5 % change on previous year (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 14.95 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 9,610 current LCU per person (2009)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), annual growth 3.29 % change on previous year (2009)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Eritrea?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Eritrea was 3.4% in 2016, 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 Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2016.
- How does Eritrea rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Eritrea ranks 16th out of 172 countries with data for 2016.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).