Military spending as a share of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.9%
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
50th
of 172 countries
All-time high
10.0%
in 1978
All-time low
0.3%
in 1931
Years of data
165
1855–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1855–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 1.9% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
The figure is down 14.1% on the previous year and up 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 10.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1931.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 50th of 172 countries on this measure, 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 1.4% | — |
| 1856 | 1.6% | +21.8% |
| 1857 | 1.7% | +1.7% |
| 1858 | 2.1% | +23.1% |
| 1859 | 2.5% | +19.9% |
| 1860 | 3.1% | +24.3% |
| 1861 | 3.0% | -1.1% |
| 1862 | 3.2% | +3.8% |
| 1863 | 3.4% | +6.9% |
| 1864 | 3.8% | +12.3% |
| 1865 | 3.4% | -10.0% |
| 1866 | 4.0% | +16.6% |
| 1867 | 4.8% | +21.9% |
| 1868 | 5.9% | +21.0% |
| 1869 | 4.9% | -16.5% |
| 1870 | 3.6% | -27.1% |
| 1871 | 3.0% | -14.9% |
| 1872 | 2.3% | -24.0% |
| 1873 | 1.9% | -16.9% |
| 1874 | 1.3% | -32.5% |
| 1875 | 1.4% | +5.0% |
| 1876 | 8.8% | +549.7% |
| 1877 | 8.2% | -7.0% |
| 1878 | 9.3% | +13.6% |
| 1879 | 9.1% | -2.2% |
| 1880 | 8.4% | -7.8% |
| 1881 | 8.3% | -1.2% |
| 1882 | 9.1% | +9.5% |
| 1883 | 8.6% | -5.2% |
| 1884 | 9.0% | +4.1% |
| 1885 | 7.8% | -13.3% |
| 1886 | 8.1% | +4.1% |
| 1887 | 2.0% | -75.4% |
| 1888 | 4.8% | +140.5% |
| 1889 | 5.6% | +16.2% |
| 1890 | 6.1% | +9.2% |
| 1891 | 5.5% | -10.0% |
| 1892 | 5.9% | +7.5% |
| 1893 | 5.8% | -0.5% |
| 1894 | 6.1% | +4.2% |
| 1895 | 6.0% | -1.3% |
| 1896 | 6.1% | +1.5% |
| 1897 | 6.2% | +1.7% |
| 1898 | 6.7% | +8.3% |
| 1899 | 6.1% | -9.4% |
| 1900 | 6.5% | +6.2% |
| 1901 | 6.3% | -3.2% |
| 1902 | 6.1% | -1.8% |
| 1903 | 6.4% | +4.5% |
| 1904 | 6.1% | -5.2% |
| 1905 | 6.2% | +1.4% |
| 1906 | 6.1% | -0.9% |
| 1907 | 6.0% | -1.7% |
| 1908 | 3.6% | -39.4% |
| 1909 | 3.7% | +1.8% |
| 1910 | 3.3% | -10.4% |
| 1911 | 3.3% | -0.3% |
| 1912 | 3.0% | -10.3% |
| 1913 | 3.1% | +4.7% |
| 1914 | 2.3% | -25.6% |
| 1915 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 1916 | 2.1% | -10.8% |
| 1917 | 1.6% | -21.4% |
| 1918 | 1.4% | -15.3% |
| 1919 | 1.0% | -24.6% |
| 1920 | 0.8% | -26.1% |
| 1921 | 0.9% | +14.5% |
| 1922 | 0.8% | -9.7% |
| 1923 | 0.7% | -7.2% |
| 1924 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1925 | 0.7% | +0.4% |
| 1926 | 0.7% | -3.7% |
| 1927 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 1928 | 0.6% | +0.4% |
| 1929 | 0.6% | -5.9% |
| 1930 | 0.5% | -8.2% |
| 1931 | 0.3% | -37.7% |
| 1932 | 0.7% | +99.1% |
| 1933 | 0.6% | -3.3% |
| 1934 | 0.9% | +46.6% |
| 1935 | 1.0% | +7.6% |
| 1936 | 1.0% | +3.5% |
| 1937 | 1.1% | +8.0% |
| 1938 | 1.4% | +25.3% |
| 1939 | 1.3% | -5.6% |
| 1940 | 1.4% | +7.0% |
| 1941 | 1.4% | -3.6% |
| 1942 | 1.3% | -7.0% |
| 1943 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 1945 | 1.5% | +13.4% |
| 1946 | 1.4% | -10.1% |
| 1947 | 1.4% | +5.5% |
| 1948 | 1.6% | +9.0% |
| 1949 | 1.9% | +22.0% |
| 1950 | 1.7% | -11.6% |
| 1951 | 1.6% | -3.7% |
| 1952 | 1.6% | +1.3% |
| 1953 | 1.5% | -11.1% |
| 1954 | 1.1% | -23.9% |
| 1955 | 1.8% | +64.0% |
| 1956 | 1.7% | -5.8% |
| 1957 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 2.1% | +19.6% |
| 1959 | 1.9% | -10.0% |
| 1960 | 1.6% | -17.8% |
| 1961 | 1.5% | -3.6% |
| 1962 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 1.5% | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 1.6% | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 1.7% | +7.9% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | +12.4% |
| 1967 | 2.4% | +25.1% |
| 1968 | 2.9% | +20.1% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | +7.9% |
| 1970 | 3.4% | +7.1% |
| 1971 | 3.4% | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 4.1% | +20.6% |
| 1974 | 7.3% | +78.9% |
| 1975 | 9.7% | +33.3% |
| 1976 | 9.0% | -7.4% |
| 1977 | 8.3% | -7.3% |
| 1978 | 10.0% | +19.8% |
| 1979 | 6.0% | -39.9% |
| 1980 | 4.8% | -19.4% |
| 1981 | 6.5% | +33.9% |
| 1982 | 6.3% | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 6.3% | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 8.2% | +29.6% |
| 1985 | 7.0% | -14.2% |
| 1986 | 5.7% | -19.3% |
| 1987 | 6.6% | +15.7% |
| 1988 | 6.0% | -9.3% |
| 1989 | 4.9% | -17.7% |
| 1990 | 3.7% | -24.9% |
| 1991 | 3.4% | -8.5% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -25.8% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -46.4% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | +16.6% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +13.7% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -10.2% |
| 2001 | 1.5% | -13.7% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -24.9% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +17.1% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +25.8% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +23.2% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -13.0% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -14.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 5 |
| 1860s | 3.9% | 3.0% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.9% | 1.3% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.2% | 2.0% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1890s | 6.0% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1900s | 5.7% | 3.6% | 6.5% | 10 |
| 1910s | 2.3% | 1.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.5% | 3.4% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.2% | 4.8% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More economy & growth data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2059 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 1,069 current US$ per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 93,249 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 483.98 million current LCU per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1799 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 933.52 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 215.22 million constant LCU per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -16.13 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 1.9% 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 10.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1931.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 50th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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).