Military spending as a share of GDP in Tunisia
Tunisia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.8%
Change on year
up 16.8%
World rank
55th
of 172 countries
All-time high
9.8%
in 1852
All-time low
0.6%
in 1956
Years of data
121
1825–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Tunisia, 1825–2019
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 Tunisia is 1.8%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.8% on the previous year and up 79.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia peaked at 9.8% in 1852 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1956.
Tunisia ranks 55th 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 Tunisia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1825 | 5.1% | — |
| 1826 | 5.3% | +4.5% |
| 1827 | 5.3% | -1.1% |
| 1828 | 5.6% | +6.4% |
| 1829 | 6.2% | +11.9% |
| 1830 | 5.6% | -11.1% |
| 1831 | 6.6% | +18.3% |
| 1832 | 7.1% | +8.5% |
| 1833 | 7.0% | -1.5% |
| 1834 | 6.9% | -1.7% |
| 1835 | 6.9% | +0.6% |
| 1836 | 6.4% | -8.4% |
| 1837 | 7.0% | +9.4% |
| 1838 | 6.9% | -0.1% |
| 1839 | 7.1% | +2.6% |
| 1840 | 8.0% | +11.6% |
| 1841 | 8.1% | +1.7% |
| 1842 | 8.3% | +2.4% |
| 1843 | 9.5% | +14.3% |
| 1844 | 9.0% | -5.0% |
| 1845 | 8.9% | -1.3% |
| 1846 | 8.9% | -0.3% |
| 1847 | 8.4% | -4.6% |
| 1848 | 9.3% | +10.0% |
| 1849 | 9.7% | +4.2% |
| 1850 | 9.0% | -7.4% |
| 1851 | 9.3% | +3.9% |
| 1852 | 9.8% | +5.0% |
| 1853 | 9.2% | -6.4% |
| 1854 | 8.9% | -3.0% |
| 1855 | 9.0% | +1.4% |
| 1856 | 8.5% | -5.1% |
| 1857 | 8.6% | +0.2% |
| 1858 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 1859 | 9.0% | +6.7% |
| 1860 | 9.0% | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 7.6% | -15.9% |
| 1862 | 7.2% | -5.2% |
| 1863 | 6.7% | -6.8% |
| 1864 | 6.0% | -9.9% |
| 1865 | 4.9% | -19.4% |
| 1866 | 5.0% | +3.5% |
| 1867 | 4.9% | -2.3% |
| 1868 | 5.5% | +12.0% |
| 1869 | 5.8% | +5.8% |
| 1870 | 5.7% | -2.4% |
| 1871 | 5.8% | +1.3% |
| 1872 | 5.8% | -0.1% |
| 1873 | 6.5% | +12.6% |
| 1874 | 5.9% | -8.7% |
| 1875 | 6.2% | +5.2% |
| 1876 | 6.6% | +5.9% |
| 1877 | 6.3% | -5.2% |
| 1878 | 6.7% | +6.8% |
| 1879 | 6.6% | -0.9% |
| 1880 | 6.2% | -5.5% |
| 1881 | 6.3% | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 0.6% | -89.7% |
| 1957 | 0.8% | +24.3% |
| 1958 | 1.1% | +35.7% |
| 1959 | 1.4% | +24.9% |
| 1960 | 1.4% | +6.2% |
| 1961 | 1.5% | +7.0% |
| 1962 | 1.4% | -10.3% |
| 1963 | 1.2% | -10.0% |
| 1964 | 1.2% | -5.7% |
| 1965 | 1.1% | -7.6% |
| 1966 | 1.1% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 1.1% | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 1.1% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | -6.2% |
| 1970 | 1.2% | +10.6% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | -6.0% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | +7.9% |
| 1973 | 1.1% | -7.8% |
| 1974 | 1.1% | +5.2% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | +16.1% |
| 1976 | 1.5% | +10.9% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | +8.1% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +21.7% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | +42.4% |
| 1980 | 2.5% | -7.4% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | -8.8% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | +17.4% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | +21.8% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | -8.1% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -10.4% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 2.5% | -7.9% |
| 1988 | 2.2% | -12.6% |
| 1989 | 2.0% | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -7.4% |
| 1991 | 1.8% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 1.8% | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | -6.3% |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -10.9% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -7.4% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +11.7% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +12.9% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | +9.7% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +16.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 5.5% | 5.1% | 6.2% | 5 |
| 1830s | 6.8% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1840s | 8.8% | 8.0% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 1850s | 9.0% | 8.5% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1860s | 6.3% | 4.9% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 1870s | 6.2% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1880s | 6.3% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 4 |
| 1960s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Tunisia
- 52 Chile 1.8% compare
- 53 Bulgaria 1.8% compare
- 54 Trinidad and Tobago 1.8% compare
- 56 Kyrgyzstan 1.8% compare
- 57 Romania 1.8% compare
- 58 Uzbekistan 1.8% compare
More economy & growth data for Tunisia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.5829 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.22 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 2.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1929 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 898.26 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 2.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.3784 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 1,762 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6269 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia was 1.8% 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 Tunisia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 1852.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Tunisia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1956.
- How does Tunisia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Tunisia ranks 55th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Tunisia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tunisia 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.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).