Military spending as a share of GDP in Iraq
Iraq: Military spending as a share of GDP was 4.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
4.2%
Change on year
down 5.6%
World rank
11th
of 172 countries
All-time high
44.6%
in 1991
All-time low
0.9%
in 1933
Years of data
88
1932–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Iraq, 1932–2019
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 Iraq stood at 4.2%.
The figure is down 5.6% on the previous year and up 68.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Iraq peaked at 44.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1933.
That places Iraq 11th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 1.0% | — |
| 1933 | 0.9% | -9.0% |
| 1934 | 1.2% | +26.7% |
| 1935 | 1.3% | +9.0% |
| 1936 | 1.8% | +37.8% |
| 1937 | 2.0% | +14.5% |
| 1938 | 2.3% | +12.3% |
| 1939 | 2.3% | -1.5% |
| 1940 | 2.4% | +4.9% |
| 1941 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1942 | 2.6% | +10.1% |
| 1943 | 2.6% | -0.2% |
| 1944 | 2.9% | +8.3% |
| 1945 | 3.5% | +21.1% |
| 1946 | 3.1% | -9.0% |
| 1947 | 2.8% | -11.9% |
| 1948 | 2.6% | -4.8% |
| 1949 | 3.2% | +20.7% |
| 1950 | 2.5% | -21.4% |
| 1951 | 2.4% | -6.1% |
| 1952 | 2.6% | +11.4% |
| 1953 | 2.9% | +9.6% |
| 1954 | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| 1955 | 2.6% | -7.3% |
| 1956 | 2.8% | +9.1% |
| 1957 | 2.2% | -20.6% |
| 1958 | 1.9% | -13.4% |
| 1959 | 1.6% | -15.4% |
| 1960 | 1.5% | -6.8% |
| 1961 | 1.9% | +21.3% |
| 1962 | 1.8% | -2.9% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | +45.3% |
| 1964 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +7.9% |
| 1966 | 3.2% | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 3.6% | +13.1% |
| 1968 | 4.7% | +28.8% |
| 1969 | 5.5% | +19.1% |
| 1970 | 5.8% | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 5.7% | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 5.4% | -3.9% |
| 1973 | 6.9% | +27.2% |
| 1974 | 10.4% | +50.2% |
| 1975 | 12.1% | +16.3% |
| 1976 | 7.0% | -41.8% |
| 1977 | 6.5% | -7.1% |
| 1978 | 5.6% | -14.2% |
| 1979 | 7.4% | +32.4% |
| 1980 | 8.0% | +7.5% |
| 1981 | 14.0% | +75.3% |
| 1982 | 20.2% | +44.1% |
| 1983 | 29.5% | +46.2% |
| 1984 | 33.5% | +13.7% |
| 1985 | 27.8% | -17.0% |
| 1986 | 27.4% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 29.7% | +8.3% |
| 1988 | 27.1% | -8.8% |
| 1989 | 27.5% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 27.3% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 44.6% | +63.5% |
| 1992 | 14.7% | -67.1% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | -24.9% |
| 1994 | 9.3% | -15.2% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | -23.3% |
| 1996 | 4.2% | -41.7% |
| 1997 | 3.8% | -9.3% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | -13.2% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -16.4% |
| 2000 | 2.3% | -17.0% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | -25.5% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | +23.9% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | +19.7% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +53.7% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +14.8% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | +9.0% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | -5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 8 |
| 1940s | 2.8% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.4% | 1.6% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.1% | 1.5% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.3% | 5.4% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.5% | 8.0% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.8% | 2.7% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.6% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 2.8% | 6.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More economy & growth data for Iraq
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.44 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.56 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 112,723 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -19.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.4539 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 2,455 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual -19.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 590.08 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 3.19 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) -6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Iraq?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Iraq was 4.2% 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 44.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1933.
- How does Iraq rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Iraq ranks 11th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq 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 — 88 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).