Military spending as a share of GDP in Guatemala
Guatemala: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.5% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.5%
Change on year
up 15.8%
World rank
156th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.6%
in 1902
All-time low
0.1%
in 1923
Years of data
152
1868–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Guatemala, 1868–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 0.5% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.8% on the previous year and up 47.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Guatemala peaked at 4.6% in 1902 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1923.
That places Guatemala 156th 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 Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1868 | 0.8% | — |
| 1869 | 0.7% | -5.0% |
| 1870 | 0.8% | +16.2% |
| 1871 | 1.1% | +33.3% |
| 1872 | 1.3% | +16.3% |
| 1873 | 1.7% | +31.8% |
| 1874 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
| 1875 | 1.8% | +2.2% |
| 1876 | 1.9% | +8.6% |
| 1877 | 1.9% | -2.1% |
| 1878 | 2.1% | +10.0% |
| 1879 | 2.1% | +0.6% |
| 1880 | 1.9% | -10.9% |
| 1881 | 1.8% | -2.0% |
| 1882 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 1883 | 2.0% | +4.2% |
| 1884 | 2.0% | +1.7% |
| 1885 | 1.8% | -8.2% |
| 1886 | 1.9% | +6.2% |
| 1887 | 1.7% | -10.1% |
| 1888 | 1.8% | +5.6% |
| 1889 | 1.8% | +0.3% |
| 1890 | 2.0% | +9.6% |
| 1891 | 2.0% | -2.2% |
| 1892 | 2.3% | +14.8% |
| 1893 | 2.3% | +2.3% |
| 1894 | 2.6% | +13.1% |
| 1895 | 3.3% | +23.9% |
| 1896 | 3.6% | +10.0% |
| 1897 | 3.6% | +0.3% |
| 1898 | 3.7% | +2.7% |
| 1899 | 3.6% | -2.5% |
| 1900 | 3.7% | +3.8% |
| 1901 | 3.9% | +5.5% |
| 1902 | 4.6% | +17.5% |
| 1903 | 4.0% | -13.2% |
| 1904 | 3.5% | -12.0% |
| 1905 | 3.3% | -7.5% |
| 1906 | 3.0% | -7.1% |
| 1907 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| 1908 | 3.1% | +2.5% |
| 1909 | 3.1% | +1.6% |
| 1910 | 2.7% | -13.1% |
| 1911 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 1912 | 0.7% | -73.4% |
| 1913 | 0.7% | -3.7% |
| 1914 | 0.2% | -62.6% |
| 1915 | 0.3% | +9.4% |
| 1916 | 0.2% | -9.6% |
| 1917 | 0.2% | -23.8% |
| 1918 | 0.2% | -12.1% |
| 1919 | 0.1% | -25.8% |
| 1920 | 0.1% | -27.1% |
| 1921 | 0.1% | +5.5% |
| 1922 | 0.1% | -7.2% |
| 1923 | 0.1% | -6.6% |
| 1924 | 0.5% | +547.3% |
| 1925 | 0.7% | +26.4% |
| 1926 | 0.8% | +24.2% |
| 1927 | 0.9% | +8.9% |
| 1928 | 0.9% | +4.9% |
| 1929 | 0.9% | -5.1% |
| 1930 | 0.9% | +3.0% |
| 1931 | 0.9% | -2.3% |
| 1932 | 1.0% | +8.5% |
| 1933 | 0.9% | -3.0% |
| 1934 | 1.1% | +13.2% |
| 1935 | 1.0% | -7.3% |
| 1936 | 0.8% | -14.5% |
| 1937 | 0.8% | -9.8% |
| 1938 | 0.8% | +0.8% |
| 1939 | 0.7% | -11.0% |
| 1940 | 0.7% | +3.4% |
| 1941 | 0.7% | -6.1% |
| 1942 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 1943 | 0.7% | +6.7% |
| 1944 | 0.8% | +14.7% |
| 1945 | 0.9% | +19.9% |
| 1946 | 0.8% | -14.4% |
| 1947 | 0.7% | -4.7% |
| 1948 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 1949 | 0.9% | +24.9% |
| 1950 | 0.8% | -10.9% |
| 1951 | 0.8% | -6.7% |
| 1952 | 0.9% | +14.0% |
| 1953 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.9% | +5.8% |
| 1955 | 1.0% | +5.9% |
| 1956 | 1.1% | +15.6% |
| 1957 | 1.1% | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 1.1% | -4.1% |
| 1959 | 1.0% | -8.5% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | -12.6% |
| 1961 | 0.8% | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 0.8% | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 0.8% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | +6.1% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -9.1% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -6.9% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | -9.5% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | +46.4% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | -27.7% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -16.6% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +26.0% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +8.6% |
| 1977 | 0.9% | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 0.9% | +10.0% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +13.8% |
| 1980 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 1.0% | -4.9% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +29.1% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | +6.0% |
| 1984 | 1.4% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -9.4% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | -11.3% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.1% | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -12.0% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -15.1% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -11.4% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | +9.8% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -8.6% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -8.9% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | +7.5% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -15.1% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +15.1% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +10.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +15.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1870s | 1.7% | 0.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1890s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.5% | 3.0% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.8% | 0.1% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More economy & growth data for Guatemala
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.43 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.86 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1542 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 1,017 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 4.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 1.15 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 7,586 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6212 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Guatemala?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Guatemala was 0.5% 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 1902.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1923.
- How does Guatemala rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Guatemala ranks 156th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala 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 — 152 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).