Military spending as a share of GDP in Gabon
Gabon: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.1% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.1%
Change on year
up 12.0%
World rank
97th
of 172 countries
All-time high
2.7%
in 1988
All-time low
0.2%
in 2003
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Gabon, 1960–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Gabon recorded 1.1% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
The figure is up 12.0% on the previous year and up 42.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Gabon peaked at 2.7% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2003.
That places Gabon 97th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it 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 Gabon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.2% | — |
| 1961 | 0.3% | +36.0% |
| 1962 | 0.3% | +24.3% |
| 1963 | 0.5% | +37.3% |
| 1964 | 0.5% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | +17.4% |
| 1966 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +7.4% |
| 1968 | 0.6% | -2.5% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | +20.7% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | -3.8% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +15.7% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | -21.9% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | -5.5% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | +17.7% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | +36.8% |
| 1979 | 1.4% | +61.3% |
| 1980 | 1.5% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | -10.0% |
| 1984 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +28.5% |
| 1986 | 2.6% | +41.4% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -20.5% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | -19.1% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -12.6% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -16.5% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -36.2% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -63.0% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +93.9% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | +35.5% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +23.3% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +11.3% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +9.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +41.8% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -21.7% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +25.3% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +12.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Gabon
- 94 Côte d'Ivoire 1.2% compare
- 95 Tanzania, United Republic of 1.2% compare
- 96 Fiji 1.2% compare
- 98 Hungary 1.1% compare
- 99 Tajikistan 1.1% compare
- 100 Portugal 1.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Gabon
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8121 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 17.92 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4234 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 3,499 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 13.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 246.41 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 2.04 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3135 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Gabon?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Gabon 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 Gabon?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1988.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Gabon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2003.
- How does Gabon rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Gabon ranks 97th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Gabon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gabon 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).