Military spending as a share of GDP in Tanzania, United Republic of
Tanzania, United Republic of: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.2%
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
95th
of 172 countries
All-time high
5.1%
in 1979
All-time low
0.3%
in 1963
Years of data
59
1961–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Tanzania, United Republic of, 1961–2019
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 Tanzania, United Republic of is 1.2%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 80.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Tanzania, United Republic of peaked at 5.1% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1963.
Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 95th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Tanzania, United Republic of, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4% | — |
| 1962 | 0.3% | -35.6% |
| 1963 | 0.3% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 0.4% | +46.5% |
| 1965 | 0.5% | +29.0% |
| 1966 | 0.6% | +11.3% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +11.0% |
| 1968 | 0.7% | +16.0% |
| 1969 | 0.8% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +39.6% |
| 1971 | 1.3% | +25.6% |
| 1972 | 1.6% | +17.7% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | +6.9% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +33.4% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 4.4% | +83.2% |
| 1979 | 5.1% | +14.6% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | -36.7% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | -11.3% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | -16.7% |
| 1983 | 1.6% | -31.4% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +16.1% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +38.3% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | -40.4% |
| 1988 | 1.2% | -16.2% |
| 1989 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +18.0% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -20.5% |
| 1993 | 0.9% | -21.8% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +14.4% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -33.1% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +16.8% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +10.7% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.5% | 1.1% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.2% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania, United Republic of
More economy & growth data for Tanzania, United Republic of
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.67 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1826 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 233.35 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 38.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 39.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 9.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 582.13 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 743,848 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Tanzania, United Republic of?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Tanzania, United Republic of was 1.2% 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 Tanzania, United Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 1979.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Tanzania, United Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1963.
- How does Tanzania, United Republic of rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 95th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Tanzania, United Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tanzania, United Republic of 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 — 59 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).