Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan
Pakistan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 4.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
4.0%
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
13th
of 172 countries
All-time high
8.8%
in 1952
All-time low
0.1%
in 1947
Years of data
73
1947–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan, 1947–2019
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 Pakistan is 4.0%, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 80.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan peaked at 8.8% in 1952 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1947.
Pakistan ranks 13th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 0.1% | — |
| 1948 | 3.9% | +6414.1% |
| 1949 | 7.7% | +96.6% |
| 1950 | 7.5% | -3.1% |
| 1951 | 7.5% | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 8.8% | +16.3% |
| 1953 | 8.0% | -8.9% |
| 1954 | 6.7% | -16.4% |
| 1955 | 5.9% | -11.8% |
| 1956 | 5.2% | -12.4% |
| 1957 | 4.5% | -12.5% |
| 1958 | 4.4% | -3.2% |
| 1959 | 4.3% | -1.0% |
| 1960 | 4.5% | +3.0% |
| 1961 | 4.4% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 4.4% | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 4.6% | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 7.6% | +66.9% |
| 1966 | 6.8% | -11.2% |
| 1967 | 5.7% | -16.7% |
| 1968 | 5.5% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 5.4% | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 5.2% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 5.3% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 4.5% | -15.2% |
| 1973 | 4.2% | -6.7% |
| 1974 | 4.4% | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 4.7% | +6.8% |
| 1976 | 4.5% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 4.5% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 4.4% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 4.8% | +7.8% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 4.4% | -6.4% |
| 1982 | 4.8% | +8.7% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | -8.0% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 4.2% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 4.0% | -5.9% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 4.0% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 3.9% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 4.2% | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -6.6% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +9.8% |
| 1998 | 3.4% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | -15.1% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -9.3% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 2.4% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +10.0% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +20.9% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.9% | 0.1% | 7.7% | 3 |
| 1950s | 6.3% | 4.3% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.3% | 4.4% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.3% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.9% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.4% | 4.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More economy & growth data for Pakistan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1302 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 207.8 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 36.38 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 58,062 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1244 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 198.47 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 18,968 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 8.38 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Pakistan was 4.0% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1952.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1947.
- How does Pakistan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Pakistan ranks 13th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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).