Military spending as a share of GDP in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.5%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
154th
of 166 countries
All-time high
10.3%
in 1989
All-time low
0.4%
in 2021
Years of data
65
1961–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Ethiopia, 1961–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 0.5% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 26.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Ethiopia peaked at 10.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2021.
That places Ethiopia 154th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.9% | — |
| 1962 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | +25.7% |
| 1964 | 2.9% | +20.3% |
| 1965 | 3.2% | +10.6% |
| 1966 | 3.1% | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 2.5% | -20.0% |
| 1968 | 2.2% | -11.7% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | -8.0% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -6.8% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.8% | +45.1% |
| 1975 | 4.5% | +60.7% |
| 1976 | 4.1% | -8.0% |
| 1977 | 4.0% | -4.0% |
| 1978 | 4.8% | +21.2% |
| 1979 | 6.9% | +43.1% |
| 1980 | 8.7% | +26.5% |
| 1981 | 7.5% | -13.5% |
| 1982 | 7.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7.2% | -4.8% |
| 1984 | 8.0% | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 6.8% | -14.4% |
| 1986 | 6.7% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 6.9% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 8.5% | +24.0% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | +20.9% |
| 1990 | 9.7% | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 5.7% | -40.9% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | -39.7% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -22.4% |
| 1996 | 2.1% | -4.9% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +57.9% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +117.7% |
| 1999 | 9.5% | +30.6% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -19.1% |
| 2001 | 4.4% | -42.9% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | -14.5% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -12.3% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -18.0% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -17.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -20.1% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | -21.0% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -17.8% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -16.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +94.1% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -10.8% |
| 2024 | 0.5% | -35.9% |
| 2025 | 0.5% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 1.9% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 1.9% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.8% | 6.7% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 2.1% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 1.2% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More economy & growth data for Ethiopia
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 11.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2018 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 188.22 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth -39.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 20.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 39.2 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 36,567 current LCU per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 7.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3016 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Ethiopia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Ethiopia was 0.5% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2021.
- How does Ethiopia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Ethiopia ranks 154th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.