Military spending as a share of GDP in Benin
Benin: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Benin recorded 0.9% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.3% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Benin peaked at 2.2% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2001.
That places Benin 131st out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.9% | — |
| 1961 | 1.4% | +60.1% |
| 1962 | 1.8% | +25.5% |
| 1963 | 1.7% | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.2% | +25.6% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | -3.4% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | -9.8% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | +4.0% |
| 1968 | 2.1% | +4.9% |
| 1969 | 1.9% | -8.6% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | -14.2% |
| 1971 | 1.6% | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | -7.1% |
| 1973 | 1.7% | +12.8% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | -14.0% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -14.2% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | +31.0% |
| 1978 | 1.2% | -28.9% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +61.6% |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 1.6% | -23.6% |
| 1982 | 1.0% | -32.4% |
| 1983 | 1.2% | +13.3% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | +22.7% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -10.5% |
| 1986 | 1.4% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | +15.8% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | -16.4% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -6.3% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -60.4% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -14.9% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -13.3% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +74.0% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +13.9% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -15.6% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +36.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -31.3% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -25.2% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | +20.1% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | +14.7% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | +19.8% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | +14.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.8% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More economy & growth data for Benin
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 168.36 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 59.08 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 97,972 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0832 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 138.03 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 81,602 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 15.15 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Benin?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Benin was 0.9% in 2025, 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1964.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2001.
- How does Benin rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Benin ranks 131st out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.