Military spending as a share of GDP in Qatar
Qatar: Military spending as a share of GDP was 3.4% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
3.4%
Change on year
up 25.7%
World rank
18th
of 172 countries
All-time high
10.5%
in 1982
All-time low
1.5%
in 2007
Years of data
48
1971–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Qatar, 1971–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Qatar recorded 3.4% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
The figure is up 25.7% on the previous year and up 99.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Qatar peaked at 10.5% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2007.
Qatar ranks 18th 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 Qatar, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.4% | — |
| 1972 | 4.2% | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 3.3% | -20.2% |
| 1974 | 2.3% | -29.6% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | +13.4% |
| 1976 | 3.8% | +43.4% |
| 1977 | 5.8% | +51.9% |
| 1978 | 6.8% | +18.5% |
| 1979 | 7.6% | +10.4% |
| 1980 | 7.2% | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 8.5% | +18.7% |
| 1982 | 10.5% | +23.2% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | -61.7% |
| 1984 | 4.7% | +17.1% |
| 1985 | 5.9% | +25.1% |
| 1986 | 6.6% | +11.7% |
| 1987 | 6.5% | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 6.5% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 9.1% | +39.5% |
| 1990 | 9.2% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +11.2% |
| 1992 | 9.3% | -8.9% |
| 1993 | 7.6% | -17.9% |
| 1994 | 6.0% | -21.7% |
| 1995 | 6.4% | +6.7% |
| 1996 | 6.7% | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 7.5% | +13.1% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | -10.8% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -14.4% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | -10.4% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -18.7% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -35.5% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | -24.8% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +12.4% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | +29.5% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | +25.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.5% | 2.3% | 7.6% | 9 |
| 1980s | 7.0% | 4.0% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.7% | 6.0% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 1.5% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 3.4% | 9 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More economy & growth data for Qatar
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.9074 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.61 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4701 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 34,094 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.71 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 124,102 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.4421 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Qatar?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Qatar was 3.4% 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 Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 10.5% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2007.
- How does Qatar rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Qatar ranks 18th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Qatar 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 — 48 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).