Military spending as a share of GDP in Syrian Arab Republic
Syrian Arab Republic: Military spending as a share of GDP was 10.7% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2016)
10.7%
Change on year
down 24.1%
World rank
1st
of 172 countries
All-time high
27.4%
in 1985
All-time low
2.3%
in 1947
Years of data
69
1946–2016
Military spending as a share of GDP in Syrian Arab Republic, 1946–2016
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2016, military spending as a share of gdp in Syrian Arab Republic stood at 10.7%.
The figure is down 24.1% on the previous year and up 231.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Syrian Arab Republic peaked at 27.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1947.
That places Syrian Arab Republic 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Syrian Arab Republic, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 2.7% | — |
| 1947 | 2.3% | -15.2% |
| 1948 | 2.9% | +28.1% |
| 1949 | 4.0% | +38.0% |
| 1950 | 4.3% | +6.9% |
| 1951 | 4.3% | -0.0% |
| 1952 | 4.0% | -6.7% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | -29.3% |
| 1954 | 3.1% | +9.6% |
| 1955 | 2.8% | -9.1% |
| 1956 | 4.5% | +60.7% |
| 1957 | 4.4% | -2.9% |
| 1958 | 6.2% | +42.8% |
| 1961 | 6.7% | +7.7% |
| 1962 | 6.8% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 6.6% | -3.5% |
| 1964 | 6.6% | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 6.5% | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 8.2% | +25.6% |
| 1968 | 9.1% | +10.9% |
| 1969 | 8.7% | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 7.5% | -15.9% |
| 1972 | 7.3% | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 10.7% | +47.1% |
| 1974 | 10.1% | -6.3% |
| 1975 | 12.6% | +25.1% |
| 1976 | 14.0% | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 14.4% | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 14.3% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 20.4% | +42.7% |
| 1980 | 21.3% | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 18.4% | -13.6% |
| 1982 | 19.5% | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 21.9% | +12.1% |
| 1984 | 26.1% | +19.6% |
| 1985 | 27.4% | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 25.8% | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 23.1% | -10.6% |
| 1988 | 17.7% | -23.3% |
| 1989 | 16.2% | -8.5% |
| 1990 | 16.6% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 20.2% | +21.9% |
| 1992 | 16.0% | -21.1% |
| 1993 | 12.8% | -19.6% |
| 1994 | 10.2% | -20.9% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | -24.3% |
| 1996 | 7.2% | -6.4% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | -10.6% |
| 1998 | 5.1% | -21.4% |
| 1999 | 4.8% | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | -8.1% |
| 2003 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -13.5% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 3.3% | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +10.3% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | +10.6% |
| 2012 | 5.2% | +22.8% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | +27.3% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +31.5% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +63.2% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | -24.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.9% | 2.3% | 4.0% | 4 |
| 1950s | 4.0% | 2.8% | 6.2% | 9 |
| 1960s | 7.3% | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.0% | 7.3% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.7% | 16.2% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.7% | 4.8% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 3.8% | 14.1% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Syrian Arab Republic
More economy & growth data for Syrian Arab Republic
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -7.58 % change on previous year (2022)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.5424 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 573.21 constant 2015 US$ per person (2022)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -19.86 % change on previous year (2022)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -55.63 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 129.31 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1,607 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1.70 million current LCU per person (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) -6.11 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1836 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Syrian Arab Republic?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Syrian Arab Republic was 10.7% in 2016, 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 Syrian Arab Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 27.4% in 1985.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Syrian Arab Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1947.
- How does Syrian Arab Republic rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Syrian Arab Republic ranks 1st out of 172 countries with data for 2016.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Syrian Arab Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is up 231.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Syrian Arab Republic 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).