Military spending as a share of GDP in Finland
Finland: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.6%
Change on year
up 18.1%
World rank
46th
of 166 countries
All-time high
2.6%
in 2025
All-time low
1.1%
in 2001
Years of data
68
1958–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in Finland, 1958–2025
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 Finland is 2.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 68 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.1% on the previous year and up 76.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Finland peaked at 2.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2001.
That places Finland 46th 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 68 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 1.7% | — |
| 1959 | 1.9% | +9.8% |
| 1960 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 1961 | 1.8% | +3.8% |
| 1962 | 2.5% | +36.9% |
| 1963 | 1.9% | -23.3% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | -3.5% |
| 1965 | 1.8% | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 1.7% | -4.6% |
| 1967 | 1.6% | -5.7% |
| 1968 | 1.8% | +8.6% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -18.1% |
| 1970 | 1.4% | -4.3% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +5.3% |
| 1972 | 1.5% | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 1.5% | -5.0% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | -12.6% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | +18.7% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -11.1% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 1.4% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 1.5% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 1.7% | +13.0% |
| 1981 | 1.5% | -7.5% |
| 1982 | 1.6% | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | +10.9% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | -12.0% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1.8% | +13.9% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +7.1% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 1.8% | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -19.0% |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +7.6% |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -4.7% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -16.4% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +25.3% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | +22.0% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +26.4% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | +8.4% |
| 2025 | 2.6% | +18.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 43 Mauritania 2.7% compare
- 44 Djibouti 2.6% compare
- 45 Republic of Korea 2.6% compare
- 47 Lebanon 2.5% compare
- 48 Tunisia 2.5% compare
- 49 Uzbekistan 2.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Finland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.51 Percent per annum (2029)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.328 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 18,418 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current US$), annual growth 275.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU), annual growth 259.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), annual 7.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 0.0231 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current LCU), per 1,297 current LCU per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Finland?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Finland was 2.6% 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2001.
- How does Finland rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 46th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland 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.