Military spending as a share of GDP in Lebanon
Lebanon: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
3.7%
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
15th
of 172 countries
All-time high
9.8%
in 1983
All-time low
0.8%
in 1988
Years of data
74
1946–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Lebanon, 1946–2019
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 Lebanon is 3.7%, measured in 2019.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Lebanon peaked at 9.8% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1988.
Lebanon ranks 15th of 172 countries on this measure, 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 Lebanon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 1.8% | — |
| 1947 | 1.5% | -16.6% |
| 1948 | 1.8% | +25.2% |
| 1949 | 2.2% | +21.5% |
| 1950 | 1.8% | -19.2% |
| 1951 | 1.6% | -12.6% |
| 1952 | 1.5% | -3.7% |
| 1953 | 1.5% | -4.2% |
| 1954 | 1.4% | -1.7% |
| 1955 | 1.4% | -3.3% |
| 1956 | 1.8% | +31.6% |
| 1957 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 1958 | 2.2% | +17.0% |
| 1959 | 1.9% | -13.4% |
| 1960 | 1.9% | -0.8% |
| 1961 | 2.0% | +6.8% |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +16.0% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | -10.0% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | -8.1% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | +3.8% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | -3.7% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -6.4% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | +10.1% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +36.9% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | +29.4% |
| 1976 | 4.7% | +27.2% |
| 1977 | 3.6% | -22.9% |
| 1978 | 5.6% | +54.4% |
| 1979 | 6.6% | +17.6% |
| 1980 | 7.0% | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 6.1% | -12.3% |
| 1982 | 6.7% | +9.5% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | +46.3% |
| 1984 | 5.7% | -42.2% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -42.1% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | -23.5% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | -59.7% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | -18.4% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +25.5% |
| 1990 | 2.9% | +178.9% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -19.4% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +30.9% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +13.2% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | +19.8% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 4.1% | -5.2% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 3.9% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -9.1% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -16.4% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 2.7% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +9.6% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +12.2% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | +4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 4 |
| 1950s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 1.8% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.4% | 0.8% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.3% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Lebanon
More economy & growth data for Lebanon
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.87 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -0 Percent per annum (2022)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0143 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 57.72 current US$ per person (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 167.72 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 678,506 current LCU per person (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0979 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 396.15 constant 2015 US$ per person (2021)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 435,209 constant LCU per person (2021)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 63.3 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Lebanon?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Lebanon was 3.7% 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 Lebanon?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 1983.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Lebanon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1988.
- How does Lebanon rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Lebanon ranks 15th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Lebanon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lebanon 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).