Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon
Cameroon: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.1%
Change on year
up 5.4%
World rank
119th
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.0%
in 1982
All-time low
0.9%
in 2023
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon, 1970–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Cameroon recorded 1.1% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon peaked at 2.0% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2023.
That places Cameroon 119th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.9% | — |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.7% | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 1.7% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 1.6% | -6.0% |
| 1981 | 1.8% | +16.9% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | +9.4% |
| 1983 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 1.7% | -8.0% |
| 1985 | 1.3% | -23.0% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | -9.1% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 1.3% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 1.5% | +10.6% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 1.3% | -13.5% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.3% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 1.2% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +7.3% |
| 1999 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 1.4% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -18.4% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -11.8% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +8.3% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More economy & growth data for Cameroon
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.05 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.53 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 122,171 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 17.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.2477 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 488.65 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 13.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 144.17 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 284,358 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.03 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Cameroon was 1.1% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2023.
- How does Cameroon rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Cameroon ranks 119th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.