Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan, 1970–2021
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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 Afghanistan is 1.8%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 34.5% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan peaked at 2.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2017.
That places Afghanistan 85th out of 166 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.6% | — |
| 1973 | 1.9% | +14.7% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | -13.8% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 2.0% | +18.8% |
| 1977 | 2.0% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +20.9% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -18.1% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +35.3% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -9.0% |
| 2009 | 2.1% | -10.6% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -35.5% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +20.5% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -23.4% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +6.5% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +16.3% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +16.0% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | +34.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More economy & growth data for Afghanistan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP -8.59 Percent per annum (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP -6.24 Percent per annum (2022)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 38.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6806 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 283.72 current US$ per person (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 25.24 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 48.31 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 20,139 current LCU per person (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth -57.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -41.64 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Afghanistan was 1.8% in 2021, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2007.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2017.
- How does Afghanistan rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Afghanistan ranks 85th out of 166 countries with data for 2021.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.