Military spending as a share of GDP in Finland
Finland: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.1% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.1%
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
106th
of 172 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1940
All-time low
0.3%
in 1917
Years of data
103
1917–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Finland, 1917–2019
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 Finland is 1.1%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Finland peaked at 6.1% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1917.
Finland ranks 106th 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 Finland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 0.3% | — |
| 1918 | 0.3% | +0.8% |
| 1919 | 1.1% | +212.8% |
| 1920 | 0.9% | -16.1% |
| 1921 | 1.1% | +24.8% |
| 1922 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 1923 | 1.2% | +7.0% |
| 1924 | 1.3% | +2.6% |
| 1925 | 1.4% | +8.4% |
| 1926 | 1.3% | -1.4% |
| 1927 | 1.3% | -2.6% |
| 1928 | 1.3% | -2.3% |
| 1929 | 1.3% | +4.6% |
| 1930 | 1.4% | +2.5% |
| 1931 | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| 1932 | 1.3% | -7.5% |
| 1933 | 1.1% | -9.1% |
| 1934 | 1.4% | +26.2% |
| 1935 | 1.5% | +3.0% |
| 1936 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 1937 | 1.4% | -2.7% |
| 1938 | 1.6% | +9.8% |
| 1939 | 4.6% | +187.5% |
| 1940 | 6.1% | +33.6% |
| 1941 | 5.8% | -5.0% |
| 1942 | 5.3% | -8.2% |
| 1943 | 4.6% | -14.0% |
| 1944 | 4.8% | +4.3% |
| 1945 | 4.9% | +1.6% |
| 1946 | 4.1% | -14.9% |
| 1947 | 3.4% | -17.5% |
| 1948 | 2.8% | -18.4% |
| 1949 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 1950 | 1.4% | -48.3% |
| 1951 | 1.2% | -17.3% |
| 1952 | 1.0% | -13.7% |
| 1953 | 0.5% | -55.3% |
| 1954 | 1.1% | +147.6% |
| 1955 | 1.1% | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 1.2% | +6.4% |
| 1957 | 1.0% | -15.1% |
| 1958 | 0.5% | -48.0% |
| 1959 | 1.0% | +87.7% |
| 1960 | 1.0% | -3.0% |
| 1961 | 1.1% | +12.0% |
| 1962 | 1.3% | +20.7% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -5.1% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | -6.8% |
| 1965 | 1.2% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 1.1% | -5.1% |
| 1968 | 1.0% | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 0.9% | -10.2% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 1.0% | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | -6.1% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | +7.1% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 1.0% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -4.2% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 1.0% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +3.9% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | +10.8% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +5.3% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -4.8% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -10.3% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -8.5% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -16.3% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 1.1% | 3 |
| 1920s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.7% | 1.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1940s | 4.5% | 2.7% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More economy & growth data for Finland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.51 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 5,685 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 4.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2252 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 12,647 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 0.5073 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.1993 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 11,192 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.8346 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Finland?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Finland was 1.1% 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1940.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1917.
- How does Finland rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 106th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Finland 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 — 103 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).