Military spending as a share of GDP in Gambia
Gambia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.7%
Change on year
up 6.3%
World rank
141st
of 172 countries
All-time high
2.7%
in 1965
All-time low
0.2%
in 2004
Years of data
54
1965–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Gambia, 1965–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia stood at 0.7%.
That represents a change of up 6.3% on the previous year and up 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia peaked at 2.7% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2004.
That places Gambia 141st out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it 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 Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 2.7% | — |
| 1966 | 2.4% | -13.8% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -5.4% |
| 1969 | 2.1% | -7.3% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | -4.4% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -6.5% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -16.6% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | -15.9% |
| 1975 | 1.0% | -14.2% |
| 1976 | 1.0% | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -7.3% |
| 1978 | 0.8% | -13.4% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | -6.2% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -13.5% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -8.1% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -9.3% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | -7.2% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -25.7% |
| 1985 | 0.3% | -6.1% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | -17.6% |
| 1987 | 0.3% | -5.3% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | +26.6% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -14.1% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +52.0% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -6.4% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | +53.3% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +21.6% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +6.5% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | -9.9% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -15.9% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -53.4% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -15.3% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -8.7% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -22.7% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -9.0% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +12.3% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +62.6% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +139.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -43.3% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -12.0% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | +18.8% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | +21.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +17.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +6.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 138 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.7% compare
- 139 South Africa 0.7% compare
- 140 Malawi 0.7% compare
- 142 El Salvador 0.7% compare
- 143 Dominican Republic 0.7% compare
- 144 Kazakhstan 0.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Gambia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.69 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.02 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3373 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 309.98 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -60.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -69.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 33.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 17.11 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 15,724 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia was 0.7% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1965.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Gambia ranks 141st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia 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 — 54 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).