Military spending as a share of GDP in Guyana
Guyana: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.5% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.5%
Change on year
up 20.8%
World rank
78th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.1%
in 1986
All-time low
0.4%
in 1991
Years of data
54
1966–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Guyana, 1966–2019
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 Guyana is 1.5%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 20.8% on the previous year and up 92.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Guyana peaked at 4.1% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1991.
That places Guyana 78th 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 Guyana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 0.4% | — |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +55.1% |
| 1968 | 0.5% | -17.1% |
| 1969 | 0.5% | +6.7% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | +34.3% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +9.1% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | +7.3% |
| 1973 | 0.9% | +8.9% |
| 1974 | 1.2% | +33.4% |
| 1975 | 1.9% | +58.0% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | +32.8% |
| 1977 | 2.1% | -16.1% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +14.8% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 2.6% | +16.8% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | +27.0% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +23.3% |
| 1987 | 1.2% | -69.9% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | -15.2% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | -43.6% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | -28.9% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | -15.1% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | +12.4% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | +9.0% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -10.6% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | +18.8% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +22.3% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +18.9% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +17.1% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +13.9% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -14.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +8.4% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +22.0% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +20.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 4 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 0.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 0.6% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Guyana
More economy & growth data for Guyana
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 11.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 11.93 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 21.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.9565 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 31,005 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 21.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 209.26 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 6.78 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 12.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1485 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Guyana?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Guyana was 1.5% 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 Guyana?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Guyana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1991.
- How does Guyana rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Guyana ranks 78th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Guyana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 92.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guyana 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).