Military spending as a share of GDP in Rwanda
Rwanda: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.0%
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
118th
of 172 countries
All-time high
5.1%
in 1993
All-time low
0.8%
in 2015
Years of data
58
1962–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Rwanda, 1962–2019
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 Rwanda stood at 1.0%.
The figure is up 8.8% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Rwanda peaked at 5.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2015.
Rwanda ranks 118th 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 0.8% | — |
| 1963 | 1.3% | +52.6% |
| 1964 | 2.0% | +53.5% |
| 1965 | 2.0% | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | -27.2% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -4.1% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | +22.5% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | -14.5% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | -11.2% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 1.4% | +6.2% |
| 1981 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 1.5% | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 1.4% | -5.8% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 1.4% | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -6.5% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | +15.6% |
| 1991 | 4.2% | +176.1% |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 4.5% | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 4.6% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | -10.2% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +13.1% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | -11.7% |
| 2000 | 3.4% | -16.1% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -32.7% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -16.3% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -14.7% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | -24.5% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -15.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -12.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.6% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 8 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 1.5% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.1% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More economy & growth data for Rwanda
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.1 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 7.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 774,244 constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 7.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9468 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 1,064 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 16.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1,352 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 1.52 million current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Rwanda?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Rwanda was 1.0% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2015.
- How does Rwanda rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Rwanda ranks 118th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).