Military spending as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.0% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
2.0%
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
43rd
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 1996
All-time low
0.1%
in 1950
Years of data
72
1948–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sri Lanka, 1948–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 2.0% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1950.
Sri Lanka ranks 43rd of 172 countries on this measure, in the top 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.2% | — |
| 1949 | 0.2% | -17.0% |
| 1950 | 0.1% | -15.0% |
| 1951 | 0.2% | +37.7% |
| 1952 | 0.2% | +31.4% |
| 1953 | 0.3% | +29.7% |
| 1954 | 0.5% | +49.8% |
| 1955 | 0.4% | -3.9% |
| 1956 | 0.5% | +23.3% |
| 1957 | 0.7% | +26.9% |
| 1958 | 0.9% | +27.2% |
| 1959 | 0.9% | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 0.8% | -5.0% |
| 1961 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 0.8% | -6.8% |
| 1963 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 1964 | 0.7% | -6.9% |
| 1965 | 0.6% | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 0.6% | -6.1% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | -8.3% |
| 1968 | 0.5% | -10.6% |
| 1969 | 0.5% | -4.0% |
| 1970 | 0.5% | +5.1% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | +63.5% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -13.3% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -21.8% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | -11.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 0.5% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | 0.4% | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 0.6% | +30.7% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 0.6% | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +14.2% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | +7.7% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | +121.1% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +27.1% |
| 1987 | 2.1% | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | -7.6% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | +17.2% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.2% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | +43.7% |
| 1996 | 3.3% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 3.1% | -7.1% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 2.5% | -19.1% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +18.8% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -14.7% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -32.6% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | +25.1% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +33.1% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +16.3% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | -9.8% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.6% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.1% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.5% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More economy & growth data for Sri Lanka
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.07 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -7.82 Percent per annum (2022)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1712 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 856.15 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 51.51 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 257,658 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1469 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 734.8 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 99,888 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 9.06 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Sri Lanka was 2.0% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 1996.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Sri Lanka ranks 43rd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 72 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).