Military spending as a share of GDP in Malawi
Malawi: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.7%
Change on year
up 51.1%
World rank
140th
of 172 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 1979
All-time low
0.3%
in 2001
Years of data
56
1964–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Malawi, 1964–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.7% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
The figure is up 51.1% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Malawi peaked at 2.3% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2001.
That places Malawi 140th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 0.5% | — |
| 1965 | 0.5% | +4.3% |
| 1966 | 0.5% | -9.6% |
| 1967 | 0.4% | -8.8% |
| 1968 | 0.4% | -8.4% |
| 1969 | 0.4% | -5.2% |
| 1970 | 0.4% | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 0.4% | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 0.4% | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | +47.1% |
| 1974 | 0.6% | +8.0% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +25.5% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +24.4% |
| 1977 | 1.2% | +28.0% |
| 1978 | 1.8% | +45.5% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +32.1% |
| 1980 | 2.2% | -5.9% |
| 1981 | 1.9% | -12.6% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | -17.7% |
| 1983 | 1.3% | -20.9% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -10.7% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 1.1% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | -10.2% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | -9.2% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -5.0% |
| 1990 | 0.8% | -8.2% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -9.0% |
| 1992 | 0.7% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | -8.8% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -10.8% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -12.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -36.9% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | +53.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | +19.0% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +11.0% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +11.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +21.2% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -32.2% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -20.7% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -10.2% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +17.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -12.8% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +14.0% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +51.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 6 |
| 1970s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 137 Belgium 0.7% compare
- 138 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.7% compare
- 139 South Africa 0.7% compare
- 141 Gambia 0.7% compare
- 142 El Salvador 0.7% compare
- 143 Dominican Republic 0.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Malawi
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.07 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.6 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 45.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4866 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 326.79 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 46.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 852.01 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 572,135 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.4481 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Malawi?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Malawi was 0.7% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 1979.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2001.
- How does Malawi rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Malawi ranks 140th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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).