Military spending as a share of GDP in Ghana
Ghana: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.4%
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
162nd
of 172 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 1968
All-time low
0.2%
in 2002
Years of data
63
1957–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Ghana, 1957–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 0.4% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Ghana peaked at 2.5% in 1968 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2002.
That places Ghana 162nd 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 0.3% | — |
| 1958 | 0.4% | +11.0% |
| 1959 | 0.6% | +71.6% |
| 1960 | 1.0% | +60.4% |
| 1961 | 1.4% | +38.4% |
| 1962 | 1.6% | +8.3% |
| 1963 | 1.6% | +4.3% |
| 1964 | 1.7% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 1.8% | +6.1% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | +9.5% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +25.0% |
| 1968 | 2.5% | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | -5.6% |
| 1970 | 2.1% | -9.9% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | -11.0% |
| 1972 | 1.6% | -12.0% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | +22.0% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +15.0% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 2.1% | -10.5% |
| 1978 | 2.1% | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -8.7% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -10.1% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -61.8% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -13.7% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | -17.1% |
| 1988 | 0.3% | -36.9% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | +11.9% |
| 1990 | 0.3% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +8.1% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +19.6% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | +10.8% |
| 1996 | 0.5% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -13.5% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -35.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -22.8% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +13.3% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | +12.6% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +53.2% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -9.8% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -15.8% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 3 |
| 1960s | 1.8% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More economy & growth data for Ghana
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.15 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 649.98 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 37.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2925 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 952.81 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 21.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 3.67 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 11,964 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.3 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Ghana?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Ghana was 0.4% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1968.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2002.
- How does Ghana rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Ghana ranks 162nd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ghana 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
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).