Military spending as a share of GDP in Romania
Romania: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.8%
Change on year
up 17.8%
World rank
57th
of 172 countries
All-time high
17.0%
in 1953
All-time low
1.0%
in 2002
Years of data
142
1878–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Romania, 1878–2019
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 Romania stood at 1.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.8% on the previous year and up 70.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Romania peaked at 17.0% in 1953 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2002.
Romania ranks 57th 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 Romania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | 4.3% | — |
| 1879 | 3.5% | -18.0% |
| 1880 | 2.8% | -19.8% |
| 1881 | 3.1% | +8.1% |
| 1882 | 3.2% | +5.8% |
| 1883 | 3.2% | -1.0% |
| 1884 | 3.5% | +10.4% |
| 1885 | 3.2% | -9.9% |
| 1886 | 3.2% | +1.5% |
| 1887 | 3.1% | -4.4% |
| 1888 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 1889 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 1890 | 2.9% | -3.9% |
| 1891 | 3.2% | +10.3% |
| 1892 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 1893 | 3.5% | +1.7% |
| 1894 | 3.8% | +9.0% |
| 1895 | 4.1% | +9.1% |
| 1896 | 4.2% | +0.6% |
| 1897 | 4.3% | +2.9% |
| 1898 | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| 1899 | 4.2% | -5.3% |
| 1900 | 3.5% | -16.7% |
| 1901 | 3.6% | +3.3% |
| 1902 | 3.6% | -0.0% |
| 1903 | 3.6% | -1.3% |
| 1904 | 3.5% | -1.8% |
| 1905 | 3.5% | +0.1% |
| 1906 | 3.4% | -4.7% |
| 1907 | 3.7% | +10.2% |
| 1908 | 3.7% | +0.9% |
| 1909 | 3.7% | -0.3% |
| 1910 | 3.1% | -15.4% |
| 1911 | 3.4% | +8.3% |
| 1912 | 3.2% | -6.0% |
| 1913 | 2.8% | -11.3% |
| 1914 | 2.2% | -21.5% |
| 1915 | 2.4% | +9.5% |
| 1916 | 3.0% | +22.8% |
| 1917 | 3.3% | +9.0% |
| 1918 | 3.1% | -4.4% |
| 1919 | 3.1% | -1.7% |
| 1920 | 2.5% | -16.9% |
| 1921 | 2.4% | -7.0% |
| 1922 | 2.1% | -9.8% |
| 1923 | 2.1% | -1.7% |
| 1924 | 2.0% | -6.1% |
| 1925 | 2.1% | +7.8% |
| 1926 | 2.3% | +8.0% |
| 1927 | 2.9% | +26.3% |
| 1928 | 3.5% | +19.1% |
| 1929 | 3.5% | +1.7% |
| 1930 | 3.8% | +7.0% |
| 1931 | 4.1% | +9.6% |
| 1932 | 3.9% | -6.6% |
| 1933 | 4.0% | +4.6% |
| 1934 | 5.9% | +46.0% |
| 1935 | 5.8% | -2.2% |
| 1936 | 5.7% | -1.3% |
| 1937 | 5.8% | +2.8% |
| 1938 | 6.5% | +11.0% |
| 1939 | 7.2% | +11.1% |
| 1940 | 8.0% | +11.9% |
| 1941 | 7.6% | -5.4% |
| 1942 | 7.4% | -3.2% |
| 1943 | 6.9% | -5.8% |
| 1944 | 7.4% | +6.4% |
| 1945 | 8.9% | +20.7% |
| 1946 | 6.8% | -23.4% |
| 1947 | 5.1% | -24.8% |
| 1948 | 3.8% | -26.5% |
| 1949 | 6.2% | +63.0% |
| 1950 | 10.6% | +72.9% |
| 1951 | 12.6% | +18.3% |
| 1952 | 16.7% | +32.8% |
| 1953 | 17.0% | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 14.3% | -16.0% |
| 1955 | 12.3% | -13.8% |
| 1956 | 12.5% | +1.2% |
| 1957 | 12.1% | -2.6% |
| 1958 | 11.4% | -6.4% |
| 1959 | 9.8% | -13.7% |
| 1960 | 8.7% | -10.9% |
| 1961 | 9.2% | +5.0% |
| 1962 | 9.5% | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 8.8% | -7.1% |
| 1964 | 8.8% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 9.0% | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 8.7% | -3.6% |
| 1967 | 8.6% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 8.1% | -5.7% |
| 1969 | 8.4% | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 8.1% | -3.6% |
| 1971 | 8.2% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 6.7% | -18.8% |
| 1973 | 5.2% | -21.8% |
| 1974 | 5.0% | -5.1% |
| 1975 | 4.6% | -6.4% |
| 1976 | 4.4% | -5.0% |
| 1977 | 4.4% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 4.2% | -4.7% |
| 1979 | 3.8% | -9.8% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | -12.8% |
| 1981 | 3.5% | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 3.9% | +11.2% |
| 1983 | 4.3% | +10.7% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | -5.4% |
| 1985 | 3.8% | -6.4% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | -5.3% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | +4.6% |
| 1989 | 4.5% | +9.7% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -31.0% |
| 1991 | 2.6% | -15.9% |
| 1992 | 2.1% | -17.1% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -31.8% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | -20.5% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -10.4% |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 1.1% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -9.4% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | +6.7% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +24.2% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +12.1% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +17.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3.9% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 1880s | 3.1% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1890s | 3.8% | 2.9% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1900s | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1910s | 3.0% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.3% | 3.8% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 6.8% | 3.8% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1950s | 12.9% | 9.8% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 8.8% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.5% | 3.8% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.0% | 3.3% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Romania
- 54 Trinidad and Tobago 1.8% compare
- 55 Tunisia 1.8% compare
- 56 Kyrgyzstan 1.8% compare
- 58 Uzbekistan 1.8% compare
- 59 Nepal 1.7% compare
- 60 Poland 1.7% compare
More economy & growth data for Romania
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.82 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1291 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2,909 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 2.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.2795 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 6,299 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 10.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6174 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Romania?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Romania was 1.8% 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 Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 1953.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2002.
- How does Romania rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Romania ranks 57th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Romania 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 — 142 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).