Military spending as a share of GDP in Chile
Chile: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.5%
Change on year
down 8.8%
World rank
97th
of 166 countries
All-time high
8.9%
in 1982
All-time low
1.5%
in 2025
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Chile, 1950–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, military spending as a share of gdp in Chile stood at 1.5%. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.8% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Chile peaked at 8.9% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2025.
That places Chile 97th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, 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 Chile, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.6% | — |
| 1951 | 3.1% | +16.3% |
| 1952 | 2.6% | -16.2% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | +8.0% |
| 1954 | 1.7% | -39.2% |
| 1955 | 2.3% | +36.0% |
| 1956 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 3.0% | +32.6% |
| 1958 | 2.7% | -11.5% |
| 1959 | 2.1% | -20.4% |
| 1960 | 3.1% | +45.0% |
| 1961 | 3.5% | +13.1% |
| 1962 | 3.0% | -13.7% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 2.6% | -8.0% |
| 1965 | 2.9% | +9.5% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | -5.2% |
| 1967 | 2.7% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 2.5% | -6.9% |
| 1969 | 2.3% | -10.5% |
| 1970 | 4.5% | +96.8% |
| 1971 | 6.3% | +40.8% |
| 1972 | 6.6% | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 6.3% | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 7.1% | +13.1% |
| 1975 | 6.7% | -5.2% |
| 1976 | 6.1% | -9.8% |
| 1977 | 6.9% | +13.6% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | -2.7% |
| 1979 | 6.3% | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 6.5% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 7.0% | +8.3% |
| 1982 | 8.9% | +26.4% |
| 1983 | 7.6% | -14.7% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 6.9% | -9.3% |
| 1986 | 6.3% | -8.9% |
| 1987 | 5.6% | -10.3% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | -26.6% |
| 1989 | 3.6% | -13.3% |
| 1990 | 3.4% | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 2.8% | -16.2% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | -7.8% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | -6.5% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | -11.9% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +10.8% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | -20.2% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +5.5% |
| 2024 | 1.7% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.5% | 1.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 4.5% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 3.6% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 2.4% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Chile
More economy & growth data for Chile
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.32 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 989,209 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 11.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3142 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 5,655 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 12.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 298.94 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 5.38 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3574 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Chile?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Chile was 1.5% 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 Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 1982.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2025.
- How does Chile rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Chile ranks 97th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Chile 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.
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.