Military spending as a share of GDP in Nigeria
Nigeria: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.4%
Change on year
up 19.7%
World rank
157th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.9%
in 1969
All-time low
0.3%
in 1960
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Nigeria, 1960–2019
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 Nigeria stood at 0.4%.
The figure is up 19.7% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Nigeria peaked at 4.9% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1960.
Nigeria ranks 157th of 172 countries on this measure, 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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.3% | — |
| 1961 | 0.4% | +25.7% |
| 1962 | 0.5% | +20.6% |
| 1963 | 0.5% | +12.3% |
| 1964 | 0.6% | +13.5% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 1.7% | +184.1% |
| 1968 | 2.8% | +58.5% |
| 1969 | 4.9% | +77.7% |
| 1970 | 2.9% | -40.6% |
| 1971 | 2.5% | -15.7% |
| 1972 | 2.9% | +19.7% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | -15.0% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | -10.7% |
| 1975 | 3.8% | +72.2% |
| 1976 | 3.7% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 3.6% | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -14.6% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | -12.5% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -5.5% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | -38.9% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +7.3% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | -12.9% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | -16.6% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -17.5% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | -29.9% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -45.2% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | -6.0% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | -13.0% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4% | +10.5% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | +176.6% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | +29.6% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +9.8% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -18.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -49.9% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -8.7% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -29.3% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -12.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +19.3% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +19.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.3% | 0.3% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 0.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More economy & growth data for Nigeria
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.32 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 75,054 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 4.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1644 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 201.31 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 7.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 249.67 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 305,664 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4.57 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Nigeria?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Nigeria was 0.4% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 1969.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1960.
- How does Nigeria rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Nigeria ranks 157th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 60 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).