Military spending as a share of GDP in Norway
Norway: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.3% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.3%
Change on year
up 15.3%
World rank
91st
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.3%
in 1940
All-time low
0.5%
in 1933
Years of data
111
1905–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Norway, 1905–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Norway recorded 1.3% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
That represents a change of up 15.3% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Norway peaked at 4.3% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1933.
Norway ranks 91st of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Norway, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 4.1% | — |
| 1906 | 4.0% | -1.1% |
| 1907 | 4.1% | +1.0% |
| 1908 | 4.2% | +3.3% |
| 1909 | 4.1% | -1.7% |
| 1910 | 3.6% | -13.9% |
| 1911 | 3.2% | -10.7% |
| 1912 | 1.2% | -63.3% |
| 1913 | 1.1% | -6.7% |
| 1914 | 0.8% | -23.3% |
| 1915 | 0.9% | +2.6% |
| 1916 | 0.8% | -4.6% |
| 1917 | 0.8% | +0.3% |
| 1918 | 0.9% | +7.4% |
| 1919 | 0.8% | -7.9% |
| 1920 | 0.6% | -21.6% |
| 1921 | 0.7% | +9.5% |
| 1922 | 0.6% | -9.2% |
| 1923 | 0.6% | -8.7% |
| 1924 | 0.5% | -12.2% |
| 1925 | 0.5% | +2.7% |
| 1926 | 0.5% | +2.4% |
| 1927 | 0.6% | +9.4% |
| 1928 | 0.6% | -2.5% |
| 1929 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 1930 | 0.5% | -2.5% |
| 1931 | 0.6% | +5.3% |
| 1932 | 0.5% | -13.0% |
| 1933 | 0.5% | -7.1% |
| 1934 | 0.6% | +27.3% |
| 1935 | 0.6% | +1.0% |
| 1936 | 0.6% | +1.0% |
| 1937 | 0.6% | +1.0% |
| 1938 | 0.7% | +14.2% |
| 1939 | 2.2% | +224.2% |
| 1940 | 4.3% | +91.7% |
| 1945 | 3.8% | -9.9% |
| 1946 | 2.8% | -26.3% |
| 1947 | 2.0% | -27.9% |
| 1948 | 1.3% | -36.0% |
| 1949 | 1.5% | +14.9% |
| 1950 | 1.2% | -19.4% |
| 1951 | 1.4% | +13.5% |
| 1952 | 2.0% | +46.5% |
| 1953 | 2.3% | +12.0% |
| 1954 | 2.1% | -5.5% |
| 1955 | 1.9% | -10.7% |
| 1956 | 1.9% | +2.3% |
| 1957 | 1.9% | -1.8% |
| 1958 | 1.8% | -3.5% |
| 1959 | 1.6% | -11.5% |
| 1960 | 1.4% | -12.1% |
| 1961 | 1.5% | +5.9% |
| 1962 | 1.7% | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 1.7% | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 1.8% | +5.7% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +6.2% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | +3.0% |
| 1968 | 1.9% | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 1.8% | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 1.9% | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 1.9% | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | -7.9% |
| 1981 | 1.7% | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 1.7% | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | -5.2% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | +12.7% |
| 1987 | 1.8% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 1.8% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | -4.7% |
| 1991 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | -6.9% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -10.3% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -8.5% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -7.5% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +5.5% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 4.1% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 5 |
| 1910s | 1.4% | 0.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.6% | 1.3% | 4.3% | 6 |
| 1950s | 1.8% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 88 New Zealand 1.3% compare
- 89 Montenegro 1.3% compare
- 90 Belize 1.3% compare
- 92 Maldives 1.2% compare
- 93 Egypt 1.2% compare
- 94 Cote d'Ivoire 1.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Norway
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7416 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0198 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.257 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 24,312 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 0.0192 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 1.85 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 174,725 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 8.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5505 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Norway?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Norway was 1.3% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1940.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1933.
- How does Norway rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Norway ranks 91st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 111 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).