Military spending as a share of GDP in Israel
Israel: Military spending as a share of GDP was 5.6% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
5.6%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
6th
of 172 countries
All-time high
19.0%
in 1973
All-time low
1.7%
in 1955
Years of data
72
1948–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Israel, 1948–2019
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 Israel stood at 5.6%.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Israel peaked at 19.0% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1955.
That places Israel 6th 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 Israel, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 2.8% | — |
| 1949 | 4.6% | +66.3% |
| 1950 | 4.1% | -10.9% |
| 1951 | 4.2% | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 1.9% | -53.7% |
| 1953 | 2.2% | +15.6% |
| 1954 | 2.0% | -9.4% |
| 1955 | 1.7% | -13.3% |
| 1956 | 3.4% | +93.3% |
| 1957 | 3.6% | +6.3% |
| 1958 | 4.0% | +11.6% |
| 1959 | 3.7% | -8.3% |
| 1960 | 3.7% | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 3.8% | +3.7% |
| 1962 | 4.0% | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 4.2% | +6.1% |
| 1964 | 5.2% | +23.5% |
| 1965 | 5.5% | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 8.5% | +54.1% |
| 1968 | 8.6% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +20.7% |
| 1970 | 13.2% | +27.5% |
| 1971 | 12.0% | -8.6% |
| 1972 | 10.6% | -12.2% |
| 1973 | 19.0% | +80.3% |
| 1974 | 16.5% | -13.1% |
| 1975 | 16.4% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 15.8% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 14.7% | -7.2% |
| 1978 | 12.7% | -13.2% |
| 1979 | 12.3% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 12.6% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 12.7% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 13.6% | +7.0% |
| 1983 | 12.5% | -8.1% |
| 1984 | 12.1% | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | -10.8% |
| 1986 | 10.6% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 9.5% | -9.9% |
| 1988 | 9.3% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 8.5% | -8.5% |
| 1990 | 7.9% | -7.3% |
| 1991 | 6.9% | -12.4% |
| 1992 | 7.2% | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 7.1% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 7.0% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 7.1% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 5.8% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 5.0% | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 5.3% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 5.6% | +6.9% |
| 2009 | 5.2% | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 5.3% | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 5.5% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -11.4% |
| 2016 | 5.3% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 5.6% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.7% | 2.8% | 4.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 3.1% | 1.7% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.9% | 3.7% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.3% | 10.6% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.2% | 8.5% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.9% | 5.8% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 5.3% | 6.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Israel
More economy & growth data for Israel
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.14 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 19,946 constant LCU per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 0.4688 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1723 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 9,339 current US$ per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 1.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 0.6373 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 34,551 current LCU per person (2024)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) -1.64 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Israel?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Israel was 5.6% 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 19.0% in 1973.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1955.
- How does Israel rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Israel ranks 6th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Israel 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.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).