Military spending as a share of GDP in Sweden
Sweden: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.8% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
0.8%
Change on year
up 7.4%
World rank
131st
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.8%
in 1944
All-time low
0.7%
in 2016
Years of data
204
1816–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sweden, 1816–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Sweden is 0.8%, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of up 7.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Sweden peaked at 3.8% in 1944 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2016.
That places Sweden 131st out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 204 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1816 | 1.1% | — |
| 1817 | 1.0% | -11.2% |
| 1818 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 1819 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1820 | 1.2% | +10.9% |
| 1821 | 1.2% | +5.2% |
| 1822 | 1.2% | -6.1% |
| 1823 | 1.2% | +7.0% |
| 1824 | 1.3% | +7.0% |
| 1825 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 1826 | 1.3% | +1.3% |
| 1827 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 1828 | 1.4% | +4.7% |
| 1829 | 1.5% | +8.5% |
| 1830 | 1.4% | -11.7% |
| 1831 | 1.6% | +18.8% |
| 1832 | 1.6% | +0.2% |
| 1833 | 1.6% | -0.5% |
| 1834 | 1.5% | -7.5% |
| 1835 | 1.5% | +1.3% |
| 1836 | 1.4% | -7.6% |
| 1837 | 1.5% | +4.2% |
| 1838 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 1839 | 1.3% | -6.6% |
| 1840 | 1.4% | +8.6% |
| 1841 | 1.5% | +2.2% |
| 1842 | 1.5% | +2.5% |
| 1843 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1844 | 1.6% | -0.3% |
| 1845 | 1.5% | -3.2% |
| 1846 | 1.4% | -6.6% |
| 1847 | 1.3% | -7.3% |
| 1848 | 1.4% | +4.1% |
| 1849 | 1.3% | -6.6% |
| 1850 | 1.1% | -10.7% |
| 1851 | 1.2% | +2.4% |
| 1852 | 1.2% | +0.1% |
| 1853 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 1854 | 1.2% | -1.3% |
| 1855 | 1.1% | -2.3% |
| 1856 | 1.1% | -3.1% |
| 1857 | 1.0% | -6.1% |
| 1858 | 1.1% | +6.5% |
| 1859 | 1.1% | +5.1% |
| 1860 | 1.2% | +2.7% |
| 1861 | 1.1% | -6.9% |
| 1862 | 1.2% | +8.2% |
| 1863 | 1.1% | -5.2% |
| 1864 | 1.2% | +10.3% |
| 1865 | 0.9% | -23.6% |
| 1866 | 0.9% | -6.0% |
| 1867 | 0.9% | +0.8% |
| 1868 | 1.0% | +6.4% |
| 1869 | 0.8% | -17.6% |
| 1870 | 0.7% | -4.9% |
| 1871 | 0.8% | +5.7% |
| 1872 | 0.8% | -0.8% |
| 1873 | 0.9% | +11.1% |
| 1874 | 0.8% | -4.6% |
| 1875 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 1876 | 1.0% | +12.9% |
| 1877 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 1878 | 1.1% | +24.7% |
| 1879 | 1.1% | -3.7% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 1881 | 1.1% | +3.1% |
| 1882 | 1.1% | +4.2% |
| 1883 | 1.2% | +1.9% |
| 1884 | 1.2% | +7.0% |
| 1885 | 1.3% | +1.9% |
| 1886 | 1.3% | +1.3% |
| 1887 | 1.2% | -3.2% |
| 1888 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1889 | 1.2% | -0.5% |
| 1890 | 1.3% | +9.1% |
| 1891 | 1.1% | -13.2% |
| 1892 | 1.2% | +8.1% |
| 1893 | 1.3% | +6.0% |
| 1894 | 1.4% | +10.2% |
| 1895 | 1.5% | +8.3% |
| 1896 | 1.5% | -1.2% |
| 1897 | 1.6% | +1.9% |
| 1898 | 1.6% | +0.5% |
| 1899 | 1.6% | +1.6% |
| 1900 | 1.7% | +7.6% |
| 1901 | 1.8% | +5.9% |
| 1902 | 1.9% | +6.5% |
| 1903 | 2.0% | +4.7% |
| 1904 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 1905 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 1906 | 1.8% | -5.3% |
| 1907 | 1.7% | -7.1% |
| 1908 | 1.7% | +2.6% |
| 1909 | 1.9% | +7.4% |
| 1910 | 1.7% | -8.6% |
| 1911 | 1.6% | -4.2% |
| 1912 | 1.6% | -4.3% |
| 1913 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 1914 | 1.3% | -19.4% |
| 1915 | 1.6% | +23.5% |
| 1916 | 1.8% | +15.1% |
| 1917 | 1.9% | +2.0% |
| 1918 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
| 1919 | 1.4% | -26.4% |
| 1920 | 1.1% | -20.6% |
| 1921 | 1.2% | +11.1% |
| 1922 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 1923 | 1.2% | -4.5% |
| 1924 | 1.1% | -7.0% |
| 1925 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 1926 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 1927 | 1.0% | -5.3% |
| 1928 | 0.9% | -7.2% |
| 1929 | 0.9% | -4.2% |
| 1930 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 1931 | 0.8% | -5.6% |
| 1932 | 0.8% | -3.7% |
| 1933 | 0.7% | -7.2% |
| 1934 | 0.9% | +24.1% |
| 1935 | 0.9% | +0.6% |
| 1936 | 1.0% | +5.4% |
| 1937 | 1.1% | +14.4% |
| 1938 | 1.4% | +27.1% |
| 1939 | 1.8% | +23.6% |
| 1940 | 2.8% | +55.7% |
| 1941 | 3.4% | +24.1% |
| 1942 | 3.6% | +5.3% |
| 1943 | 3.8% | +4.8% |
| 1944 | 3.8% | +0.9% |
| 1945 | 3.6% | -4.2% |
| 1946 | 3.0% | -18.0% |
| 1947 | 2.4% | -18.2% |
| 1948 | 2.2% | -8.1% |
| 1949 | 2.5% | +10.9% |
| 1950 | 2.1% | -16.8% |
| 1951 | 2.1% | +3.1% |
| 1952 | 2.6% | +22.5% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | +7.6% |
| 1954 | 2.9% | +3.3% |
| 1955 | 2.7% | -5.9% |
| 1956 | 2.9% | +7.1% |
| 1957 | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 2.9% | +2.2% |
| 1959 | 2.5% | -14.8% |
| 1960 | 2.3% | -9.0% |
| 1961 | 2.3% | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 2.4% | +4.8% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 2.6% | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 2.6% | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 2.4% | -5.6% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | -1.9% |
| 1971 | 2.5% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | -3.5% |
| 1974 | 2.4% | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 2.5% | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | +6.3% |
| 1978 | 2.4% | -5.2% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 2.3% | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | -9.1% |
| 1984 | 1.9% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 2.1% | +8.3% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.9% | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | -6.8% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | -8.4% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | -9.0% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 1.3% | -11.5% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -12.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1810s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 1820s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1830s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1840s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1850s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1860s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1880s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1890s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 1900s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.1% | 2.2% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More economy & growth data for Sweden
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.0987 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1834 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 11,578 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 0.0992 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 1.7 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 107,607 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 11.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6703 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Sweden?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Sweden was 0.8% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 1944.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2016.
- How does Sweden rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 131st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 204 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).