Military spending as a share of GDP in Gambia
Gambia: Military spending as a share of GDP was 0.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military spending as a share of GDP in Gambia, 1983–2025
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 Gambia is 0.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 43.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia peaked at 1.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2004.
That places Gambia 148th out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 0.3% | — |
| 1984 | 0.5% | +40.1% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | +15.4% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +11.9% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +28.4% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +18.2% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | -51.9% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | +9.3% |
| 1992 | 0.4% | -18.8% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -31.8% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -8.5% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +19.2% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | +30.4% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -15.3% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -25.6% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -7.0% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -15.3% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +43.8% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +36.5% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +208.2% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -56.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +64.3% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +57.4% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -15.0% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -31.9% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +16.1% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -14.9% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 0.6% | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More economy & growth data for Gambia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.69 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.02 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 66.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 9.13 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 8,394 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 33.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1038 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 95.38 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 45.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4039 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Gambia was 0.6% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2014.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Gambia ranks 148th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia 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.