Military spending as a share of GDP in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.8% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Military spending as a share of GDP in Zimbabwe, 1965–2019
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 Zimbabwe is 0.8%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 34.8% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe peaked at 7.6% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2019.
Zimbabwe ranks 129th 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.3% | — |
| 1966 | 1.4% | +4.8% |
| 1967 | 1.4% | +5.9% |
| 1968 | 1.5% | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 1971 | 1.5% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | +21.5% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | +25.8% |
| 1975 | 2.4% | +12.3% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | +31.2% |
| 1977 | 4.3% | +33.3% |
| 1978 | 5.2% | +22.3% |
| 1979 | 7.6% | +44.9% |
| 1980 | 6.2% | -18.8% |
| 1981 | 4.9% | -19.7% |
| 1982 | 4.5% | -9.7% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | -19.2% |
| 1984 | 3.2% | -12.6% |
| 1985 | 2.7% | -16.0% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | +19.1% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | -8.7% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -10.2% |
| 1990 | 2.3% | -11.4% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | -14.9% |
| 1993 | 1.6% | -12.2% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -12.1% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +14.7% |
| 1998 | 1.8% | +12.0% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | +16.5% |
| 2002 | 4.8% | +137.3% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -66.7% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -31.2% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -12.3% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -16.6% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +35.8% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | +35.4% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | +11.0% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -16.8% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | -34.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 5 |
| 1970s | 3.1% | 1.4% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 2.6% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 0.8% | 1.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More economy & growth data for Zimbabwe
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.02 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 17.46 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4817 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 1,455 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 88.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 15.32 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 46,279 current LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 5.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2531 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 1979.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2019.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Zimbabwe ranks 129th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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).