Military spending as a share of GDP in Zambia
Zambia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.0% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
1.0%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
113th
of 172 countries
All-time high
4.8%
in 1981
All-time low
0.3%
in 2002
Years of data
56
1964–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Zambia, 1964–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 1.0% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Zambia peaked at 4.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2002.
That places Zambia 113th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1.3% | — |
| 1965 | 1.8% | +42.9% |
| 1966 | 1.7% | -5.1% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | -16.1% |
| 1968 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | -18.4% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | +34.3% |
| 1971 | 3.3% | +109.3% |
| 1972 | 3.6% | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 3.1% | -13.7% |
| 1974 | 3.1% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 3.3% | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 3.7% | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 4.2% | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 4.4% | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | +6.6% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 4.2% | -12.1% |
| 1983 | 4.4% | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 3.5% | -20.6% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -61.4% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | +13.4% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 1.8% | +18.4% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | -19.1% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | -11.9% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.0% | -23.7% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -10.5% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | -17.2% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -50.8% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -19.4% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +71.5% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +115.3% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | +25.8% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -16.4% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -5.5% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -13.2% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -9.4% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 6 |
| 1970s | 3.4% | 1.6% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 1.3% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 110 Mongolia 1.1% compare
- 111 Philippines 1.0% compare
- 112 Netherlands 1.0% compare
- 114 Albania 1.0% compare
- 115 South Sudan 1.0% compare
- 116 Denmark 1.0% compare
More economy & growth data for Zambia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.31 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.92 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0875 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 115.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 2.2 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 2,897 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.086 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 113.36 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 722.42 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 14.41 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Zambia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Zambia was 1.0% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Zambia ranks 113th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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).