Military spending as a share of GDP in Singapore
Singapore: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
2.7%
Change on year
up 11.9%
World rank
27th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.4%
in 1971
All-time low
0.0%
in 1965
Years of data
55
1965–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Singapore, 1965–2019
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 Singapore stood at 2.7%.
The figure is up 11.9% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Singapore peaked at 4.4% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1965.
That places Singapore 27th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Singapore, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1966 | 0.8% | +8126.3% |
| 1967 | 1.2% | +52.1% |
| 1968 | 1.5% | +31.5% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | +154.8% |
| 1970 | 3.9% | +2.3% |
| 1971 | 4.4% | +11.3% |
| 1972 | 4.2% | -4.5% |
| 1973 | 3.6% | -14.0% |
| 1974 | 3.5% | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | +6.8% |
| 1976 | 3.8% | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 3.4% | -8.9% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 3.3% | -5.7% |
| 1981 | 3.5% | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 3.5% | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 3.6% | +9.5% |
| 1985 | 4.0% | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | -3.3% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 3.6% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | +6.0% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | +6.6% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | -6.7% |
| 1994 | 3.9% | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | +8.3% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | -6.1% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | -7.2% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | +11.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.5% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 5 |
| 1970s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 24 Brunei Darussalam 3.0% compare
- 25 Azerbaijan 3.0% compare
- 26 Colombia 2.7% compare
- 28 Namibia 2.5% compare
- 29 Botswana 2.5% compare
- 30 Republic of Korea 2.4% compare
More economy & growth data for Singapore
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1743 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 17,223 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.2279 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 22,518 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1506 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 14,884 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 20,462 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.41 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Singapore?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Singapore was 2.7% 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 4.4% in 1971.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1965.
- How does Singapore rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Singapore ranks 27th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Singapore 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 — 55 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).