Military spending as a share of GDP in South Africa
South Africa: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
0.7%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
139th
of 172 countries
All-time high
7.4%
in 1942
All-time low
0.2%
in 1931
Years of data
100
1920–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in South Africa, 1920–2019
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 South Africa stood at 0.7%.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in South Africa peaked at 7.4% in 1942 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1931.
That places South Africa 139th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0.3% | — |
| 1921 | 0.3% | +26.3% |
| 1922 | 0.3% | -14.7% |
| 1923 | 0.3% | -1.8% |
| 1924 | 0.3% | -8.8% |
| 1925 | 0.3% | +6.1% |
| 1926 | 0.3% | -4.6% |
| 1927 | 0.3% | +2.8% |
| 1928 | 0.3% | -6.9% |
| 1929 | 0.2% | -9.5% |
| 1930 | 0.2% | -2.3% |
| 1931 | 0.2% | -5.9% |
| 1932 | 0.2% | +2.9% |
| 1933 | 0.2% | +1.9% |
| 1934 | 0.3% | +33.3% |
| 1935 | 0.3% | +5.4% |
| 1936 | 0.3% | +6.4% |
| 1937 | 0.4% | +9.3% |
| 1938 | 0.4% | +24.1% |
| 1939 | 0.3% | -41.1% |
| 1940 | 0.9% | +228.5% |
| 1941 | 3.1% | +261.5% |
| 1942 | 7.4% | +137.9% |
| 1943 | 4.7% | -35.8% |
| 1944 | 4.4% | -7.1% |
| 1945 | 3.2% | -28.0% |
| 1946 | 2.0% | -37.6% |
| 1947 | 1.4% | -28.6% |
| 1948 | 1.1% | -22.2% |
| 1949 | 1.2% | +12.1% |
| 1950 | 0.6% | -49.8% |
| 1951 | 0.6% | +3.3% |
| 1952 | 0.8% | +18.3% |
| 1953 | 0.7% | -5.5% |
| 1954 | 0.6% | -11.3% |
| 1955 | 0.6% | -6.8% |
| 1956 | 0.6% | +7.6% |
| 1957 | 0.7% | +3.6% |
| 1958 | 0.6% | -10.1% |
| 1959 | 0.4% | -24.0% |
| 1960 | 0.5% | +2.8% |
| 1961 | 0.6% | +39.5% |
| 1962 | 1.0% | +49.7% |
| 1963 | 1.1% | +8.9% |
| 1964 | 1.3% | +19.6% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | +5.9% |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | +4.6% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | -5.7% |
| 1970 | 1.3% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +5.1% |
| 1972 | 1.3% | -5.0% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | +22.4% |
| 1974 | 1.8% | +13.0% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +27.5% |
| 1976 | 2.8% | +17.8% |
| 1977 | 2.9% | +4.3% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -3.7% |
| 1981 | 2.4% | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | -7.6% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 2.4% | +14.7% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -6.2% |
| 1991 | 2.1% | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 2.0% | -6.9% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 1.5% | -11.8% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -19.9% |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -9.3% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -11.9% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -11.0% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +12.8% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -6.3% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -11.3% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.9% | 0.9% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.1% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.1% | 1.3% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 0.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 136 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.8% compare
- 137 Belgium 0.7% compare
- 138 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0.7% compare
- 140 Malawi 0.7% compare
- 141 Gambia 0.7% compare
- 142 El Salvador 0.7% compare
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 4.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1387 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 915.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 2.48 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 16,372 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.7139 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1196 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in South Africa?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in South Africa was 0.7% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 1942.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1931.
- How does South Africa rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- South Africa ranks 139th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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 — 100 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).