Military spending as a share of GDP in India
India: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.3%
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
55th
of 166 countries
All-time high
4.2%
in 1987
All-time low
1.9%
in 1958
Years of data
70
1956–2025
Military spending as a share of GDP in India, 1956–2025
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 India stood at 2.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in India peaked at 4.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1958.
India ranks 55th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in India, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 2.0% | — |
| 1957 | 2.5% | +22.5% |
| 1958 | 1.9% | -22.3% |
| 1959 | 2.1% | +11.1% |
| 1960 | 2.0% | -6.2% |
| 1961 | 2.1% | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 2.7% | +32.3% |
| 1963 | 4.0% | +46.6% |
| 1964 | 3.8% | -5.1% |
| 1965 | 3.9% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | -7.7% |
| 1967 | 3.2% | -9.8% |
| 1968 | 3.2% | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 3.7% | +14.7% |
| 1972 | 3.7% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 3.2% | -15.0% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 3.5% | +10.4% |
| 1976 | 3.5% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 3.2% | -9.1% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | +4.3% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 3.3% | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 3.6% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +15.1% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 3.7% | -11.9% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | -5.2% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -7.5% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 2.6% | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +18.9% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.5% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -11.9% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 2.2% | -5.7% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 4 |
| 1960s | 3.2% | 2.0% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 32,680 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 5.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.252 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 681.16 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 8.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 22.01 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 59,483 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 8.78 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in India?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in India was 2.3% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1958.
- How does India rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- India ranks 55th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.